TRAILS OF THE 
PATHFINDERS 




GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL 



illk'iaBo 



IN THE SAME SERIES 

Published bv CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 



The Boy's Catlin. My Life Among the Indians, by 
George Catlin. Edited by Mary Gay Hum- 
phreys. Illustrated, iimo. . net $L50 

The Boy's Hakluyt. English Voyages of Adventure 
and Discovery, retold from Haklu}! by Edwin M. 
Bacon. Illustrated, izmo . . net $1.50 

The Boy's Drake. By Edwin M. Bacon. Illus- 
trated. i2mo net $1.50 

Trails of the Pathfinders. By George Bird 
CrRiNNELL. Illustrated. i2mo . net $1.50 



TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS 




CArrAi.x.^ i.KWis and clark \\i;ri; mi cii I'l z/.lkd at 'niis 

POINT TO KNOW WHICH nV IllK Rl\ IIRS 1?KI-()RI", THEM 
WAS THK MAIN MISSOlRl. 



TRAILS OF 
THE PATHFINDERS 



BY 

GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL 

AUTHOR OF " BLACKFOOT LODGE TALES," " PAWNEE HERO 

STORIES AND FOLK TALES," " THE STORY OF THE 

INDIAN," "INDIANS OF TODAY," BTC. 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1911 



Copyright, iqii, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 



Published April, 191 1 



^ 
^ 



t^i 



QSG 




PREFACE 

The chapters in this book appeared first as part of a series 
of articles under the same title contributed to Forest and Stream 
several years ago. At the time they aroused much interest and 
there was a demand that they should be put into book form. 

The books from which these accounts have been drawn are 
good reading for all Americans. They are at once history and 
adventure. They deal with a time when half the continent 
was unknown; when the West — distant and full of romance — 
held for the young, the brave and the hardy, possibilities that 
were limitless. 

The legend of the kingdom of El Dorado did not pass with 
the passing of the Spaniards. All through the eighteenth and 
a part of the nineteenth century it was recalled in another sense 
by the fur trader, and with the discovery of gold in California 
it was heard again by a great multitude — and almost with its 
old meaning. 

Besides these old books or: the West, there are many others 
which every American should read. They treat of that same 
romantic period, and describe the adventures of explorers, 
Indian fighters, fur hunters and fur traders. They are a part 
of the history of the continent. 

New York, April, 191 1. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER 



PACE 



I. Introduction 3 

11. Alexander Henry — I 13 

III. Alexander Henry — II 36 

IV. Jonathan Carver 57 

V. Alexander Mackenzie — I 84 

VI. Alexander Mackenzie — II 102 

VII. Alexander Mackenzie — III 121 

VIII. Lewis and Clark — I 138 

IX. Lewis and Clark — II 154 

X. Lewis and Clark — ^III 169 

XI. Lewis and Clark— IV i79 

XII. Lewis and Clark— V 190 

XIII. Zebulon M. Pike— I 207 

XIV. Zebulon M. Pike— II 226 

XV. Zebulon M. Pike— III 238 

XVI. Alexander Henry (The Younger)— I . 253 

XVII. Alexander Henry (The Younger)— II . 271 

XVIII. Alexander Henry (The Younger)— III . 287 



vu 



vlii Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIX. Ross Cox— I 301 

XX. Ross Cox— II 319 

XXI. The Commerce of the Prairies — I . . 330 

XXII. The Commerce of the Prairies — II . . 341 

XXIII. Samuel Parker 359 

XXIV. Thomas J. Farnham — I 372 

XXV. Thomas J. Farnham — II 382 

XXVI. Fremont— I 393 

XXVII. Fremont— II 405 

XXVIII. Fremont— III 415 

XXIX. Fremont— IV 428 

XXX. Fremont— V 435 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Captains Lewis and Clark Were Much Puzzled 
AT This Point to Know Which of the Rivers 
Before Them Was the Main Missouri Frontispiece u 

FACING PAGE 

"I Now Resigned Myself to the Fate with Which 

I Was Menaced" 281/ 

A Man of the Naudowessie 62 *^ 

From Travels Through the Interior Parts of North A merica, by 
Jonathan Carver 

A Man of the Ottigaumies 62 

From Travels Through the Interior Parts of North A merica, by 
Jonathan Carver 

Alexander Mackenzie 84 

From Mackenzie's Voyages from Montreal Through the Conti- 
nent 0/ North America, etc. 

Mackenzie and the Men Jumped Overboard , . 118^ 

Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Monument 

AT Colorado Springs, Colorado 208 

Buffalo on the Southern Plains 236^ 

From Kendall's Narrative of the Texas Santa Fc Expedition 

Two Men Mounted on Her Back, but She Was as 

Active with This Load as Before .... 270 ■' 

Fur Traders of the North 280 

Astoria in 1813 302 ■^ 

From Franchere's Narrative oj a Voyage to the Northwest Coast 
oj America 



X Illustrations 

FACING PACE 

Caravan on the March 334 

From Gregg's Commerce of the Prairies 

Wagons Parked for the Night 340 

From Gregg's Commerce of the Prairies 

Trappers Attacked by Indians 360 

From an old print by A. Tait 

Train Stampeded by Wild Horses 372 

From Bartlett's Texas, New Mexico, California, etc. 

Major-General John C. Fremont 394 

An Oto Council 414 

From James's An Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky 
Mountains by Major Stephen H. Long. 



MAP 



PACE 



Routes of Some of the Pathfinders 2 



TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS 



TRAILS OF THE PATHFINDERS 

CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION 

THREE centuries ago half a dozen tiny hamlets, 
peopled by white men, were scattered along the 
western shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. 
These little settlements owed allegiance to different 
nations of Europe, each of which had thrust out a hand 
to grasp some share of the wealth which might lie in the 
unknown wilderness which stretched away from the sea- 
shore toward the west. 

The "Indies" had been discovered more than a hun- 
dred years before, but though ships had sailed north 
and ships had sailed south, little was known of the land, 
through which men were seeking a passage to share the 
trade which the Portuguese, long before, had opened 
up with the mysterious East. That passage had not 
been found. To the north lay ice and snow, to the 
south — vaguely known — lay the South Sea. What that 
South Sea was, what its limits, what its relations to 
lands already visited, were still secrets. 

St. Augustine had been founded in 1565; and forty 
years later the French made their first settlement at 

3 



Trails of the Pathfinders 



Port Royal in what is now Nova Scotia. In 1607 
Jamestown was settled; and a year later the French 
estabhshed Quebec. The Pilgrims landed in Massa- 
chusetts in 1620 and the first settlement of the Dutch 
on the island of Manhattan was in 1623. All these 
settlers establishing themselves in a new country found 
enough to do in the struggle to procure subsistence, to 
protect themselves from the elements and from the at- 
tacks of enemies, without attempting to discover what 
lay inland — beyond the sound of the salt waves which 
beat upon the coast. Not until later was any effort 
made to learn what lay in the vast interior. 

Time went on. The settlements increased. Grad- 
ually men pushed farther and farther inland. There 
were wars; and one nation after another was crowded 
from its possessions, until, at length, the British owned 
all the settlements in eastern temperate America. The 
white men still clung chiefly to the sea-coast, and it was 
in western Pennsylvania that the French and Indians 
defeated Braddock in 1755, George Washington being 
an officer under his command. 

A Httle later came the war of the Revolution, and a 
new people sprang into being in a land a little more 
than two hundred and fifty years known. This people, 
teeming with energy, kept reaching out in all directions 
for new things. As they increased in numbers they 
spread chiefly in the direction of least resistance. The 
native tribes were easier to displace than the French, 
who held forts to the north, and the Spanish, who pos- 
sessed territory to the south; and the temperate climate 



Introduction 



toward the west attracted them more than the cold of 
the north or the heat of the south. So the Americans 
pushed on always to the setting sun, and their early 
movements gave truth to Bishop Berkeley's famous 
line, written long before and in an altogether different 
connection, "Westward the course of empire takes its 
way." The Mississippi was reached, and little vil- 
lages, occupied by Frenchmen and their half-breed chil- 
dren, began to change, to be transformed into American 
towns. Yet In 1790, ninety-five per cent, of the popu- 
lation of the United States was on the Atlantic sea- 
board. 

Now came the Louisiana Purchase, and Immedi- 
ately after that the expedition across the continent by 
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The trip took 
two years' time, and the reports brought back by the 
intrepid explorers, telling the wonderful story of what 
lay in the unknown beyond, greatly stimulated the Im- 
agination of the western people. Long before this It 
had become known that the western ocean — the South 
Sea of an earlier day — extended north along the con- 
tinent, and that there was no connection here with In- 
dia. It was known, too, that the Spaniards occupied 
the west coast. In 1790, Umfreville said: "That there 
are European traders settled among the Indians from 
the other side of the continent is without doubt. I, 
myself, have seen horses with Roman capitals burnt 
in their flanks with a hot iron. I likewise once saw 
a hanger with Spanish words engraved on the blade. 
Many other proofs have been obtained to convince ug 



Trails of the Pathfinders 



that the Spaniards on the opposite side of the con- 
tinent make their inland peregrinations as well as 
ourselves." 

Western travel and exploration, within the United 
States, began soon after the return of Lewis and Clark. 
The trapper, seeking for peltry — the rich furs so much 
in demand in Europe — was the first to penetrate the 
unknown wilds; but close upon his heels followed the 
Indian trader, who used trapper and Indian alike to 
fill his purse. With the trapper and the trader, natu- 
ralists began to push out into the west, studying the 
fauna and flora of the new lands. About the same 
time the possibilities of trade with the Mexicans in- 
duced the beginnings of the Santa Fe trade, that Com- 
merce of the Prairies which has been so fully written of 
by the intrepid spirits who took part in it. Meantime 
the government continued to send out expeditions, 
poorly provided in many ways, scarcely armed, barely 
furnished with provisions, without means of making 
their way through the unknown and dangerous regions 
to which they were sent, but led by heroes. 

For forty years this work of investigation went on; 
for forty years there took place a peopling of the new 
West by men who were in very deed the bravest and 
most adventurous of our brave and hardy border pop- 
ulation. They scattered over the plains and through 
the mountains; they trapped the beaver and fought 
the Indian and guided the explorers; and took to 
themselves wives from among their very enemies, and 
raised up broods of hardy offspring, some of whom we 



Introduction 7 



may yet meet as we journey through the cattle and the 
farming country which used to be the far West. 

If ever any set of men played their part in subduing 
the wilderness, and in ploughing the ground to receive 
its seed of settlement, and to rear the crop of civiliza- 
tion which is now being harvested, these men did that 
work, and did it well. It is inconceivable that they 
should have had the foresight to know what they were 
doing; to imagine what it was that should come after 
them. They did not think of that. Like the bold, 
brave, hardy men of all times and of all countries, they 
did the work that lay before them, bravely, faithfully, 
and well, without any special thought of a distant fut- 
ure; surely without any regrets for the past. As the 
years rolled by, sickness, battle, the wild beast, starva- 
tion, murder, death in some form, whether sudden or 
lingering, struck them down singly or by scores; and 
that a man had been "rubbed out," was cause for a 
sigh of regret or a word of sorrow from his companions, 
who forthwith saddled up and started on some jour- 
ney of peril, where their fate might be what his had 
been. 

At the end of forty years the first series of these ex- 
ploratory journeys came to an end. Gold was dis- 
covered in California. The Mexican War took place. 
This was not unexpected, for in the Southwest, about 
the pueblos of Taos and Santa Fe, skirmishings and 
quarrels between the Spanish-Indian inhabitants and 
the rough mountaineers and teamsters from the States 
had already given warning of a conflict soon to come. 



8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Now, well travelled wagon roads crossed the con- 
tinent, and a stream of westward immigration that 
seemed to have no end. Before long there came Indian 
wars. The immigrants imposed upon the savages, ill- 
treated their wives, and were truculent and over-bearing 
to their men. The Indians stole from the immigrants, 
and drove off their horses. Then began a season of 
conflict which, by one tribe and another, yet with 
many intermissions, lasted almost down to our own 
day. For the most part, these Indian wars are well 
within the memory of living men. They have been 
told of by those who saw them and were a part of 
them. 

Of the travellers who marched westward over the 
arid plains, during the period which intervened be- 
tween the return of Lewis and Clark and the establish- 
ment of the old California trail, and of the earher 
northmen who trafficked for the beaver in Canada, a 
few left records of their journeys; and of these records 
many are most interesting reading, for they are simple, 
faithful narratives of the every-day life of travellers 
through unknown regions. To Americans they are of 
especial interest, for they tell of a time when one-half 
of the continent which now teems with population had 
no inhabitants. The acres which now contribute freely 
of food that supplies the world; the mountains which 
now echo to the rattle of machinery, and the shot of the 
blasts which lay bare millions worth of precious metal; 
the waters which are churned by propeller blades, trans- 
porting all the varied products of the land to their mar- 



Introduction 



kets; the forests, which, alas! in too many sections, 
no longer rustle to the breeze, but have been swept 
away to make room for farms and town sites — all these 
were then undisturbed and natural, as they had been for 
a thousand years. Of the travellers who passed over 
the vast stretches of prairie or mountain or woodland, 
many saw the possibilities of this vast land, and proph- 
esied as to what might be wrought here, when, in the 
dim and distant future, which none could yet fore- 
see, settlements should have pushed out from the east 
and occupied the land. Other travellers declared that 
these barren wastes would ever prove a barrier to 
westward settlement. 

The books that were written concerning this new 
land are mostly long out of print, or difficult of access; 
yet each one of them is worth perusal. Of their au- 
thors, some bear names still familiar, even though their 
works have been lost sight of. Some of them made 
discoveries of great interest in one branch or other of 
science. At a later day some attained fame. Park- 
man's first essay in literature was his story of The Cali- 
fornia and Oregon Trails a fitting introduction to the 
many fascinating volumes that he contributed later to 
the early history of America; while in Washington 
Irving, historian and essayist, was found a narrator 
who should first tell connectedly of the fur trade of the 
Northwest, and the adventures of Bonneville. 

Besides the books that were published in those times, 
there were also written accounts, usually in the form 
of diaries, or of notes kept from day to day of the hap- 



10 Trails of the Pathfinders 

penings in the hfe of this or that individual, which are 
full of interest, because they give us pictures of one or 
another phase of early travel, or hunting adventures, 
or of trading with the Indians. Such private and per- 
sonal accounts, never intended for the public eye, are 
to-day of extreme interest; and it is fortunate that an 
American student, the late Dr. EUiott Coues, has given 
us volumes which tell the stories of Lewis and Clark, 
Pike and Garces, of Jacob Fowler, of Alexander Henry 
the younger, and of Charles Larpenteur — contributions 
to the history of the winning of the greater West whose 
value is only now beginning to be appreciated. 

The chapters that follow contain much of history 
which is old, but which, to the average American, will 
prove absolutely new. One may imagine himself very 
much interested in the old West, familiar with its history 
and devoted to its study, but it is not until he has gone 
through volume after volume of this ancient Hterature 
that he realizes how greatly his knowledge lacks pre- 
cision and how much he still has to learn concerning 
the country he inhabits. 

The work that the early travellers did, and the books 
they published, showed to the people of their day the 
conditions which existed in the far West, caused its 
settlement, and led to the slow discovery of its mineral 
treasures, and the slower appreciation of its possibili- 
ties to the farmer and stock-raiser. Each of these vol- 
umes had its readers, and of the readers of each we may 
be sure that a few, or many, attracted by the graphic 
descriptions of the new land, determined that they, too, 



Introduction ii 



would push out into it; they, too, would share in the 
wealth which it spread out with lavish hand. 

It is all so long ago that we who are busy with a 
thousand modern interests care Httle about who con- 
tributed to the greatness of the country which we in- 
habit and the prosperity which we enjoy. But there 
was a day, which men alive may still remember, a day 
of strong men, of brave women, hardy pioneers, and 
true hearts, who ventured forth into the wilderness, 
braving many dangers that were real, and many more 
that were imaginary and yet to them seemed very real, 
occupied the land, broke up the virgin soil, and peopled 
a wilderness. 

How can the men and women of this generation — 
dwellers in cities, or in peaceful villages, or on smil- 
ing farms — realize what those pioneers did — how they 
lived .? He must have possessed stern resolution and 
firm courage, who, to better the condition of those 
dearest to him, risked their comfort — their very hves — 
on the hazard of a settlement in the unknown wilder- 
ness. The woman who accompanied this man bore an 
equal part in the struggle, with devoted helpfulness 
encouraging him in his strife with nature or cheering 
him in defeat. If the school of self-reliance and hardi- 
hood in which their children were reared gave them 
little of the lore of books, it built strong characters 
and made them worthy successors of courageous par- 
ents. We may not comprehend how long and fierce was 
the struggle with the elements, with the bristling forest, 
with the unbroken soil; how hard and wearing the 



12 Trails of the Pathfinders 

annoyance of wild beasts, the anxiety as to climate, 
the fear of the prowling savage. Yet the work was 
done, and to-day, from the Alleghanies to the Pacific, 
we behold its results. 

Through hard experience these pioneers had come 
to understand life. They possessed a due sense of pro- 
portion. They saw the things which were essential; 
they scorned those which were trivial. If, judged by 
certain standards, they were rough and uncouth, if they 
spoke a strange tongue, wore odd apparel, and lived 
narrow lives, they were yet practising — albeit uncon- 
sciously — the virtues — unflinching courage, sturdy in- 
dependence and helpfulness to their neighbors — which 
have made America what it is. 

In the work of travel and exploration in that far 
West of which we used to read, the figure which stands 
out boldest and most heroic of all is unnamed. Beard- 
ed, buckskin-clad, with rough fur cap, or kerchief tied 
about his head, wearing powder-horn and ball-pouch, 
and scalping-knife, and carrying his trusty Hawkins 
rifle, the trapper — the coureur des bois — was the man 
who did the first work in subduing the wild West, the 
man who laid the foundations on which its present 
civilization is built. 

All honor to this nameless hero. We shall meet him 
often as we follow the westward trail. 



CHAPTER II 
ALEXANDER HENRY 



THE fur trade, which occupied many worthy men 
during the eighteenth and first half of the nine- 
teenth century, forms a romantic and interesting 
part of the early history of our country. 

The traders, usually of English and American parent- 
age, associated themselves with the French voyageurs, 
or coureurs des hois, whom Masson describes as "those 
heroes of the prairie and forest, regular mixtures of good 
and evil, extravagant by nature, at the same time grave 
and gay, cruel and compassionate; as credulous as 
superstitious, and always irreligious." Traders and 
voyageurs alike suffered every privation, the cold of 
winter, the heat of summer, and finally, by incredible 
persistence, beat out the path of discovery during all 
seasons, until it became a well-worn trail; all to pene- 
trate the great unknown, which might contain every- 
thing that the trader desired. The man who lived 
in those times and under those conditions was brave 
and enduring without trying to be; he was alert and 
quick to act, and unwearying in overcoming obstacles. 

13 



14 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Viewing him from the present day, we might call him 
cruel and without feeling; but in those times men were 
taught not to show their feelings. Their lives were 
given in great part to surmounting enormous difficulties 
of travel in unknown regions, and to establishing trade 
relations with unknown tribes of Indians, who often 
times were not disposed to be friendly. The fur trader 
was in constant danger, not only from hostile Indians, 
but often from starvation. 

Alexander Henry was one of these fur traders. He 
came upon the scene just at the close of the French 
regime. At twenty-one he had joined Amherst's army, 
not as a soldier, but in "a premature attempt to share in 
the fur trade of Canada, directly on the conquest of the 
country." Wolfe's victory at Quebec in the previous 
year had aroused the English traders to the opportunity 
presented of taking over the fur trade which the French 
had opened up, and Amherst's large army was watched 
with great interest as it swept away the last remnant 
of French control. Henry was well fitted for the life 
that he intended to pursue, for he seems to have had 
knowledge of the trading posts of Albany and New 
York. 

On the 3d day of August, 1 76 1, Henry despatched 
his canoes from Montreal to Lachine on an expedition 
to the regions west of the Great Lakes. Little did 
he realize then that he should be gone from civiHzation 
for sixteen years; that he should suffer and want but 
survive; should see new and strange peoples, discover 
rivers and lakes, build forts, to be used by others who 



Alexander Henry 15 

were to follow him, trade with the natives, and finally 
return to hear of the capture of Quebec by the Ameri- 
cans, and then go to France to tell of his adventures. 

The route of the expedition was the usual one. Al- 
most immediately after leaving Lachine they came to 
the broad stretch of Lake Saint Louis. At St. Anne's 
the men used to go to confession, as the voyageurs were 
almost all Catholics, and at the same time offered up 
their vows; "for the saint from which this parish derives 
its name, and to whom its church is dedicated, is the 
patroness of the Canadians in all their travels by water." 
"There is still a further custom to be observed on arriv- 
ing at Saint-Anne's," Henry relates, "which is that of 
distributing eight gallons of rum to each canoe for con- 
sumption during the voyage; nor is it less according to 
custom to drink the whole of this liquor upon the spot. 
The saint, therefore, and the priest were no sooner dis- 
missed than a scene of intoxication began in which my 
men surpassed, if possible, the drunken Indian in sing- 
ing, fighting, and the display of savage gesture and 
conceit." 

Continuing up the river, and carrying over many port- 
ages, they at last reached the Ottawa, and soon ascended 
the Mattawa. Hitherto the French were the only white 
men that had been known in this region. Their rela- 
tions with the Indians were friendly, and the Indians 
were well aware of the enmity existing between the 
French and the English. In the Lac des Chats Henry 
met several canoes of Indians returning from their win- 
ter hunt. They recognized him as an Englishman, and 



i6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

cautioned him, declaring that the upper Indians would 
kill him when they saw him, and said that the English- 
men were crazy to go so far after beaver. The expedi- 
tion came at last to Lake Huron, which **lay stretched 
across our horizon like an ocean." It was, perhaps, 
the largest water Henry had yet seen, and the pros- 
pect was alarming, but the canoes rode with the ease of 
a sea-bird, and his fears subsided. Coming to the isl- 
and called La Cloche, because "there is here a rock 
standing on a plain, which, being struck, rings like a 
bell," he found Indians, with whom he traded, and to 
whom he gave some rum, and who, recognizing him as 
an Enghshman, told his men that the Indians at Mich- 
ilimackinac would certainly kill him. On the advice of 
his friend Campion, Henry changed his garb, assuming 
the dress usually worn by the Canadians, and, smear- 
ing his face with dirt and grease, believed himself thor- 
oughly disguised. 

Passing the mouth of the river Missisaki, he found 
the Indians inhabiting the north side of Lake Superior 
cultivating corn in small quantities. 

As he went on, the lake before him to the westward 
seemed to become less and less broad, and at last he 
could see the high back of the island of Michilimacki- 
nac, commonly interpreted to mean the great turtle. 
He found here a large village of Chippewas, and leav- 
ing as soon as possible, pushed on about two leagues 
farther to the fort, where there was a stockade of thirty 
houses and a church. 

For years now Fort Michilimackinac had been a 



Alexander Henry 17 

scene of great activity. Established by Father Mar- 
quette, and kept up by succeeding missionaries, the 
first men to brave the unknown terrors of the interior, it 
was from here in 1731 that the brave and adventurous 
Verendryes set out on their long journey to the Forks 
of the Saskatchewan, and to the Missouri River. 

This was the half-way house for all the westward 
pushing and eastward coming traders, and a meeting 
place for all the tribes living on the Great Lakes. Here 
were fur traders, trappers, voyageurs, and Indians, hurry- 
ing to and fro, dressed in motley and picturesque attire. 
Some were bringing in furs from long and perilous 
journeys from the west, while others were on the eve of 
departure westward, and others still were leaving for 
Montreal. The scene must have been gay and active 
almost beyond our powers to imagine. Henry was in 
the midst of all this when the word came to him that a 
band of Chippewas wished to speak with him; and, 
however unwillingly, he was obliged to meet them, sixty 
in number, headed by Minavavana, their chief. "They 
walked in single file, each with a tomahawk in one hand 
and scalping-knife in the other. Their bodies were 
naked from the waist upward, except in a few exam- 
ples, where blankets were thrown loosely over the shoul- 
ders." Their faces were painted with charcoal, their 
bodies with white clay, and feathers were tied in the 
heads of some, and thrust through the noses of others. 
Before the opening of the council, the chief held a con- 
ference with Campion, asking how long it was since 
Henry had left Montreal, and observing that the Eng- 



1 8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

lish must be brave men and not afraid of death, since 
they thus ventured to come fearlessly among their ene- 
mies. After the pipe had been smoked, while Henry 
"inw^ardly endured the tortures of suspense," the chief 
addressed him, saying: 

"Englishman, our father, the King of France, em- 
ployed our young men to make v^ar upon your nation. 
In this warfare many of them have been killed; and it 
is our custom to retaliate, until such time as the spirits 
of the slain are satisfied. But the spirits of the slain are 
to be satisfied in either of two ways: the first is by the 
spilling of the blood of the nation by which they fell; 
the other, by covering the bodies of the dead, and thus 
allaying the resentment of their relations. This is done 
by making presents. 

''Englishman, your King has never sent us any 
presents, nor entered into any treaty with us, wherefore 
he and we are still at war; and, until he does these 
things, we must consider that we have no other father 
nor friend among the white men than the King of 
France; but, for you, we have taken into consideration 
that you have ventured your life among us, in the ex- 
pectation that we should not molest you. You do not 
come armed, with an intention to make war; you come 
in peace, to trade with us, and supply us with neces- 
saries, of which we are in much want. We shall re- 
gard you, therefore, as a brother, and you may sleep 
tranquilly, without fear of the Chippewas. As a token 
of our friendship, we present you with this pipe to 
smoke." 



Alexander Henry 19 

In reply, Henry told them that their late father, the 
King of France, had surrendered Canada to the King 
of England, whom they should now regard as their 
father, and that he, Henry, had come to furnish them 
with what they needed. Things were thus very satis- 
factory, and when the Chippewas went away they were 
given a small quantity of rum. 

Henry was now busily at work assorting his goods, 
preparatory to starting on his expedition, when two 
hundred Ottawas entered the fort and demanded speech 
with him. They insisted that he should give credit to 
every one of their young men to the amount of fifty 
beaver skins, but as this demand would have stripped 
him of all his merchandise, he refused to comply with 
the request. What the Ottawas might have done is 
uncertain. They did nothing, because that very day 
word was brought that a detachment of English sol- 
diers, sent to garrison the fort, was distant only five 
miles, and would be there the next day. At daybreak 
the Ottawas were seen preparing to depart, and by 
sunrise not one of them was left in the fort. 

Although it was now the middle of September, the 
traders sent off their canoes on the different trading 
expeditions. These canoes were victualled largely 
with Indian corn at the neighboring village of L'Arbre 
Croche, occupied by the Ottawas. This corn was pre- 
pared for use by boiling it in a strong lye which re- 
moved the husk, after which it was pounded and dried, 
making a meal. "The allowance for each man on the 
voyage is a quart a day, and a bushel, with two pounds 



20 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of prepared fat, is reckoned to be a month's subsistence. 
No other allowance is made of any kind, not even of 
salt, and bread is never thought of. The men, never- 
theless, are healthy, and capable of performing their 
heavy labor. This mode of victualling is essential to the 
trade, which, being pursued at great distances, and in 
vessels so small as canoes, will not admit of the use of 
other food. If the men were to be supplied with bread 
and pork, the canoes could not carry a sufficiency for 
six months; and the ordinary duration of the voyage is 
not less than fourteen." 

The food of the garrison consisted largely of small 
game, partridges and hares, and of fish, especially 
trout, whitefish, and sturgeon. Trout were caught with 
set lines and bait, and whitefish with nets under the 
ice. Should this fishery fail, it was necessary to pur- 
chase grain, which, however, was very expensive, cost- 
ing forty livres, or forty shillings, Canadian currency; 
though there was no money in Michilimackinac, and 
the circulating medium consisted solely of furs. A 
pound of beaver was worth about sixty cents, an otter 
skin six shillings Canadian, and marten skins about 
thirty cents each. 

Having wintered at Michilimackinac, Henry set out 
in May for the Sault de Sainte-Marie. Here there was 
a stockaded fort, with four houses, one of which was 
occupied by Monsieur Cadotte, the interpreter, and his 
Chippewa wife. The Indians had an important white- 
fish fishery at the rapids, taking the fish in dip nets. In 
the autumn Henry and the other whites did much 



Alexander Henry 21 



fishing; and in the winter they hunted, and took large 
trout with the spear through the ice in this way: "In 
order to spear trout under the ice, holes being first cut 
of two yards in circumference, cabins of about two feet 
in height are built over them of small branches of trees; 
and these are further covered with skins so as to wholly 
exclude the light. The design and result of this con- 
trivance is to render it practicable to discern objects in 
the water at a very considerable depth; for the reflec- 
tion of light from the water gives that element an 
opaque appearance, and hides all objects from the 
eye at a small distance beneath its surface, A spear 
head of iron is fastened on a pole of about ten feet in 
length. This instrument is lowered into the water, 
and the fisherman, lying upon his belly, with his head 
under the cabin or cover, and therefore over the hole, 
lets down the figure of a fish in wood and filled with 
lead. Round the middle of the fish is tied a small pack 
thread, and, when at the depth of ten fathoms, where 
it is intended to be employed, it is made, by drawing 
the string and by the simultaneous pressure of the wa- 
ter, to move forward, after the manner of a real fish. 
Trout and other large fish, deceived by its resemblance, 
spring toward it to seize it, but, by a dexterous jerk 
of the string, it is instantly taken out of their reach. 
The decoy is now drawn nearer to the surface, and the 
fish takes some time to renew the attack, during which 
the spear is raised and held conveniently for striking. 
On the return of the fish, the spear is plunged into its 
back, and, the spear being barbed, it is easily drawn out 



22 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of the water. So completely do the rays of the light 
pervade the element that in three-fathom water I have 
often seen the shadows of the fish on the bottom, fol- 
lowing them as they moved; and this when the ice it- 
self was two feet in thickness." 

The burning of the post at the Sault forced all hands 
to return next winter to Michilimackinac, where the 
early spring was devoted to the manufacture of maple 
sugar, an important article of diet in the northern 
country. 

That spring Indians gathered about the fort in such 
large numbers as to make Henry fearful that something 
unusual lay behind the concourse. He spoke about it 
to the commanding officer, who laughed at him for his 
timidity. The Indians seemed to be passing to and fro 
in the most friendly manner, selling their fur and at- 
tending to their business altogether in a natural way. 

About a year before an Indian named Wawatam had 
come into Henry's house, expressed a strong liking for 
him, and, having explained that years before, after a 
fast, he had dreamed of adopting an Englishman as 
his son, brother, and friend, told Henry that in him 
he recognized the person whom the Great Spirit had 
pointed out to him for a brother, and that he hoped 
Henry would become one of his family, and at the same 
time he made him a large present. Henry accepted 
these friendly overtures, and made a handsome present 
in return, and the two parted for the time. 

Henry had almost forgotten his brother, when, on 
the second day of June, twelve months later, Wawatam 



Alexander Henry 23 

again came to his house and expressed great regret 
that Henry had returned from the Sault. Wawatam 
stated that he intended to go there at once, and begged 
Henry to accompany him. He asked, also, whether the 
commandant had heard bad news, saying that during 
the winter he himself had been much disturbed by the 
noises of evil birds, and that there were many Indians 
around the fort who had never shown themselves with- 
in it. Both the chief and his wife strove earnestly to 
persuade Henry to accompany them at once, but he 
paid little attention to their requests, and they finally 
took their departure, very much depressed — in fact, 
even weeping. The next day Henry received from a 
Chippewa an invitation to come out and see the great 
game of baggatiway, or lacrosse, which his people were 
going to play that day with the Sacs. But as a canoe 
was about to start for Montreal, Henry was busy writ- 
ing letters, and although urged by a friend to go out 
and meet another canoe just arrived from Detroit, he 
nevertheless remained in his room, writing. Suddenly 
he heard the Indian war-cry, and, looking out of the 
window, saw a crowd of Indians within the fort furi- 
ously cutting down and scalping every Enghshman they 
found. He noticed, too, many of the Canadian inhab- 
itants of the fort quietly looking on, neither trying to 
stop the Indians nor suffering injury from them; and 
from the fact that these people were not being attacked, 
he conceived the hope of finding security in one of their 
houses. This is as he tells it: 

" Between the yard-door of my own house and that 



24 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of M. Langlade, my next neighbor, there was only a 
low fence, over which I easily climbed. At my entrance 
I found the whole family at the windows, gazing at the 
scene of blood before them. I addressed myself imme- 
diately to M. Langlade, begging that he would put me 
into some place of safety until the heat of the affair 
should be over, an act of charity by which he might 
perhaps preserve me from the general massacre; but, 
while I uttered my petition, M. Langlade, who had 
looked for a moment at me, turned again to the win- 
dow, shrugging his shoulders and intimating that he 
could do nothing for me — 'Qu^ voudriez-vous que fen 
ferais?* 

"This was a moment for despair; but the next a 
Pani woman, a slave of M. Langlade's, beckoned to me 
to follow her. She brought me to a door, which she 
opened, desiring me to enter, and telhng me that it led 
to the garret, where I must go and conceal myself. I 
joyfully obeyed her directions and she, having followed 
me up to the garret door, locked it after me, and with 
great presence of mind took away the key. 

''This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hope to find 
it, I was naturally anxious to know what might still be 
passing without. Through an aperture which afforded 
me a view of the area of the fort, I beheld, in shapes the 
foulest and most terrible, the ferocious triumphs of bar- 
barian conquerors. The dead were scalped and man- 
gled; the dying were writhing and shrieking under the 
unsatiated knife and tomahawk, and, from the bodies 
of some ripped open, their butchers were drinking the 



Alexander Henry 25 



blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined hands and 
quaffed amid shouts of rage and victory. I was shaken, 
not only with horror, but with fear. The sufferings 
which I witnessed, I seemed on the point of experi- 
encing. No long time elapsed before every one being 
destroyed who could be found, there was a general cry 
of 'AH is finished!' At the same instant I heard some 
of the Indians enter the house in which I was. 

"The garret was separated from the room below only 
by a layer of single boards, at once the flooring of the 
one and the ceihng of the other. I could therefore hear 
everything that passed; and, the Indians no sooner in 
than they inquired whether or not any Englishmen 
were in the house.'' M. Langlade replied that *He 
could not say — he did not know of any' — answers in 
which he did not exceed the truth, for the Pani woman 
had not only hidden me by stealth, but had kept my 
secret and her own; M. Langlade was therefore, as I 
presume, as far from a wish to destroy me as he was 
careless about saving me, when he added to these an- 
swers that 'They might examine for themselves, and 
would soon be satisfied as to the object of their ques- 
tion.' Saying this, he brought them to the garret door. 

"The state of my mind will be imagined. Arrived 
at the door, some delay was occasioned by the absence 
of the key, and a few moments were thus allowed me 
in which to look around for a hiding place. In one 
corner of the garret was a heap of vessels of birch-bark, 
used in maple-sugar making. 

"The door was unlocked, and opening, and the Ind- 



26 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ians ascending the stairs, before I had completely crept 
into a small opening which presented itself at one end 
of the heap. An instant after four Indians entered the 
room, all armed with tomahawks, and all besmeared 
with blood upon every part of their bodies. 

"The die appeared to be cast. I could scarcely 
breathe: but I thought that the throbbing of my heart 
occasioned a noise loud enough to betray me. The 
Indians walked in every direction about the garret, and 
one of them approached me so closely that at a particu- 
lar moment, had he put forth his hand, he must have 
touched me. Still, I remained undiscovered, a circum- 
stance to which the dark color of my clothes and the 
want of light, in a room which had no window, and in 
the corner in which I was, must have contributed. In 
a word, after taking several turns in the room, during 
which they told M. Langlade how many they had 
killed and how many scalps they had taken, they re- 
turned down-stairs, and I with sensations not to be ex- 
pressed heard the door, which was the barrier between 
me and fate, locked for the second time. 

"There was a feather bed on the floor, and on this, 
exhausted as I was by the agitation of my mind, I threw 
myself down and fell asleep. In this state I remained 
till the dusk of the evening, when I was awakened by 
a second opening of the door. The person that now 
entered was M. Langlade's wife, who was much sur- 
prised at finding me, but advised me not to be uneasy, 
observing that the Indians had killed most of the Eng- 
lish, but that she hoped I might myself escape. A 



Alexander Henry 27 

shower of rain having begun to fall, she had come to 
stop a hole in the roof. On her going away, I begged 
her to send me a little water to drink, which she did. 

"As night was now advancing, I continued to lie on 
the bed, ruminating on my condition but unable to dis- 
cover a resource from which I could hope for life. A 
flight to Detroit had no probable chance of success. 
The distance from Michihmackinac was four hundred 
miles; I was without provisions, and the whole length 
of the road lay through Indian countries, countries of 
an enemy in arms, where the first man whom I should 
meet would kill me. To stay where I was threatened 
nearly the same issue. As before, fatigue of mind and 
not tranquillity, suspended my cares and procured me 
further sleep. . . . 

"The respite which sleep afforded me during the 
night was put an end to by the return of morning. I 
was again on the rack of apprehension. At sunrise I 
heard the family stirring, and, presently after, Indian 
voices, informing M. Langlade that they had not found 
my hapless self among the dead, and that they sup- 
posed me to be somewhere concealed. M. Langlade 
appeared, from what followed, to be by this time ac- 
quainted with the place of my retreat, of which, no 
doubt, he had been informed by his wife. The poor 
woman, as soon as the Indians mentioned me, declared 
to her husband, in the French tongue, that he should 
no longer keep me in his house, but dehver me up to 
my pursuers; giving as a reason for this measure that 
should the Indians discover his instrumentahty in my 



28 Trails of the Pathfinders 

concealment they might revenge it on her children, 
and that it was better that I should die than they. M. 
Langlade resisted at first this sentence of his wife's; 
but soon suffered her to prevail, informing the Indians 
that he had been told I was in his house; that I had 
come there without his knowledge, and that he would 
put me into their hands. This was no sooner expressed 
than he began to ascend the stairs, the Indians follow- 
ing upon his heels. 

"I now resigned myself to the fate with which I was 
menaced; and regarding every attempt at concealment 
as vain, I arose from the bed and presented myself full 
in view to the Indians who were entering the room. 
They were all in a state of intoxication, and entirely 
naked, except about the middle. One of them, named 
Wenniway, whom I had previously known and who 
was upward of six feet in height, had his entire face and 
body covered with charcoal and grease, only that a 
white spot of two inches in diameter encircled either 
eye. This man, walking up to me, seized me with one 
hand by the collar of the coat, while in the other he held 
a large carving knife, as if to plunge it into my breast; 
his eyes, meanwhile, were fixed steadfastly on mine. At 
length, after some seconds of the most anxious suspense 
he dropped his arm, saying, *I won't kill you!' To 
this he added that he had been frequently engaged in 
wars against the English, and had brought away many 
scalps; that, on a certain occasion, he had lost a brother, 
whose name was Musingon, and that I should be called 
after him." 




'I NOW RESIGNED MYSELF Tf) THE FATE WrFH WHICH I WAS 

MENACED." 



Alexander Henry 29 

Several times within the next two or three days Henry 
had narrow escapes from death at the hands of drunken 
Indians; but finally his captors, having stripped him 
of all his clothing save an old shirt, took him, with 
other prisoners, and set out for the Isles du Castor, in 
Lake Michigan. 

At the village of L'Arbre Croche, the Ottawas forcibly 
took away their prisoners from the Chippewas, but the 
Chippewas made violent complaint, while the Ottawas 
explained to the prisoners that they had taken them 
from the Chippewas to save their lives, it being the prac- 
tice of the Chippewas to eat their enemies, in order to 
give them courage in battle. A council was held be- 
tween the Chippewas and Ottawas, the result of which 
was that the prisoners were handed over to their origi- 
nal captors. But before they had left this place, while 
Henry was sitting in the lodge with his captor, his friend 
and brother, Wawatam, suddenly entered. As he 
passed Henry he shook hands with him, but went 
toward the great chief, by whom he sat down, and after 
smoking, rose again and left the lodge, saying to Henry 
as he passed him, "Take courage." 

A little later, Wawatam and his wife entered the 
lodge, bringing large presents, which they threw down 
before the chiefs. Wawatam explained that Henry was 
his brother, and therefore a relative to the whole tribe, 
and asked that he be turned over to him, which was 
done. 

Henry now went with Wawatam to his lodge, and 
thereafter lived with him. The Indians were very much 



;^o Trails of the Pathfinders 

afraid that the EngHsh would send to revenge the 
killing of their troops, and they shortly moved to the 
Island of Michilimackinac. A little later a brigade of 
canoes, containing goods and abundant liquor, was 
captured: and Wawatam, fearing the results of the 
drink on the Indians, took Henry away and concealed 
him in a cave, where he remained for two days. 

The head chief of the village of MichiHmackinac 
now recommended to Wawatam and Henry that, on ac- 
count of the frequent arrival of Indians from Montreal, 
some of whom had lost relatives or friends in the war, 
Henry should be dressed hke an Indian, and the wis- 
dom of this advice was recognized. His hair was cut 
off, his head shaved, except for a scalp-lock, his face 
painted, and Indian clothing given him. Wawatam 
helped him to visit Michilimackinac, where Henry 
found one of his clerks, but none of his property. Soon 
after this they moved away to Wawatam's wintering 
ground, which Henry was very willing to visit, because 
in the main camp he was constantly subjected to in- 
sults from the Indians who knew of his race. 

Henry writes fully of the customs of the Indians, of 
the habits of many of the animals which they pursued, 
and of the life he led. He says that during this winter 
''Raccoon hunting was my more particular and daily 
employ. I usually went out at the first dawn of day, 
and seldom returned till sunset, or till I had laden my- 
self with as many animals as I could carry. By de- 
grees I became familiarized with this kind of life; and 
had it not been for the idea, of which I could not divest 



Alexander Henry 31 

my mind, that I was living among savages, and for the 
whispers of a lingering hope that I should one day be 
released from it, or if I could have forgotten that I had 
ever been otherwise than as I then was, I could have 
enjoyed as much happiness in this as in any other sit- 
uation." 

Among the interesting hunting occurrences narrated 
is one of the killing of a bear, and of the ceremonies 
subsequent to this kiUing performed by the Indians. 
He says: 

"In the course of the month of January I happened 
to observe that the trunk of a very large pine tree was 
much torn by the claws of a bear, made both in going 
up and down. On further examination, I saw that there 
was a large opening in the upper part, near which the 
smaller branches were broken. From these marks, and 
from the additional circumstance that there were no 
tracks in the snow, there was reason to believe that a 
bear lay concealed in the tree. 

"On returning to the lodge, I communicated my dis- 
covery, and it was agreed that all the family should go 
together in the morning to assist in cutting down the 
tree, the girth of which was not less than three fathom. 
Accordingly, in the morning we surrounded the tree, 
both men and women, as many at a time as could con- 
veniently work at it, and here we toiled like beaver till 
the sun went down. This day's work carried us about 
halfway through the trunk; and the next morning we 
renewed the attack, continuing it till about two o'clock 
in the afternoon, when the tree fell to the ground. For 



32 Trails of the Pathfinders 

a few minutes everything remained quiet, and I feared 
that all our expectations were disappointed; but, as I 
advanced to the opening, there came out, to the great 
satisfaction of all our party, a bear of extraordinary 
size, which, before she had proceeded many yards, I 
shot. 

"The bear being dead, all my assistants approached, 
and all, but more particularly my old mother (as I was 
wont to call her), took her head in their hands, stroking 
and kissing it several times, begging a thousand pardons 
for taking away her life; calling her their relation and 
grandmother, and requesting her not to lay the fault 
upon them, since it was truly an Enghshman that had 
put her to death. 

"This ceremony was not of long duration, and if it 
was I that killed their grandmother, they were not them- 
selves behindhand in what remained to be performed. 
The skin being taken off, we found the fat in several 
places six inches deep. This, being divided into two 
parts, loaded two persons, and the flesh parts were as 
much as four persons could carry. In all, the carcass 
must have exceeded five hundredweight. 

"As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear's head 
was adorned with all the trinkets in the possession of 
the family, such as silver arm-bands and wrist-bands, 
and belts of wampum, and then laid upon a scafix)ld set 
up for its reception within the lodge. Near the nose 
was placed a large quantity of tobacco. 

"The next morning no sooner appeared than prepa- 
rations were made for a feast to the manes. The lodge 



Alexander Henry 33 

was cleaned and swept, and the head of the bear lifted 
up and a new stroud blanket, which had never been 
used before, spread under it. The pipes were now lit, 
and Wawatam blew tobacco smoke into the nostrils of 
the bear, telhng me to do the same, and thus appease 
the anger of the bear on account of my having killed 
her. I endeavored to persuade my benefactor and 
friendly adviser that she no longer had any life, and 
assured him that I was under no apprehension from 
her displeasure; but the first proposition obtained no 
credit, and the second gave but little satisfaction. 

"At length, the feast being ready, Wawatam com- 
menced a speech, resembling, in many things, his 
address to the manes of his relations and departed 
companions, but having this peculiarity, that he here 
deplored the necessity under which men labored thus 
to destroy their friends. He represented, however, that 
the misfortune was unavoidable, since without doing 
so they could by no means subsist. The speech ended, 
we all ate heartily of the bear's flesh, and even the head 
itself, after remaining three days on the scaffold, was 
put into the kettle. 

"It is only the female bear that makes her winter 
lodging in the upper parts of trees, a practice by which 
her young are secured from the attacks of wolves and 
other animals. She brings forth in the winter season, 
and remains in her lodge till the cubs have gained some 
strength. 

"The male always lodges in the ground, under the 
roots of trees. He takes to this habitation as soon as 



34 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the snow falls, and remains there till it has disappeared. 
The Indians remark that the bear comes out in the 
spring with the same fat which he carried in in the au- 
tumn; but, after exercise of only a few days, becomes 
lean. Excepting for a short part of the season, the 
male lives constantly alone. 

''The fat of our bear was melted down, and the oil 
filled six porcupine skins. A part of the meat was cut 
into strips and fire-dried, after which it was put into 
the vessels containing the oil, where it remained in per- 
fect preservation until the middle of summer." 

When spring came, and they returned to the more 
travelled routes and met other Indians, it was seen that 
these people were all anxious lest the English should 
this summer avenge the outbreak of the Indians of the 
previous year. Henry was exceedingly anxious to es- 
cape from his present life, and his brother was willing 
that he should go, but this appeared difficult. At last, 
however, a Canadian canoe, carrying Madame Ca- 
dotte, came along, and this good woman was willing to 
assist Henry so far as she could. He and his brother 
parted rather sadly, and Henry, now under the guise of 
a Canadian, took a paddle in Madame Cadotte's 
canoe. She took him safely to the Sault, where he was 
welcomed by Monsieur Cadotte, whose great influence 
among the Indians was easily sufficient to protect him. 
Soon after this there came an embassy from Sir William 
Johnson, calling the Indians to come to Niagara and 
make peace with the English; and after consulting the 
Great Turtle, who was the guardian spirit of the Chip- 



Alexander Henry 35 

pewas, a number of young men volunteered to go to 
Niagara, and among them Henry. 

After a long voyage they reached Niagara, where 
Henry wzs very kindly received by Sir William Johnson 
and subsequently w^as appointed by General Brad- 
street, commander of an Indian battalion of ninety-six 
men, among w^hom were many of the Indians who, not 
long before, had been ready and eager to kill him. 
With this command he moved westward, and after peace 
had been made with Pontiac at Detroit, with a de- 
tachment of troops reached Michilimackinac, where he 
recovered a part of his property. 



CHAPTER III 

ALEXANDER HENRY 
n 

THE French Government had established regula- 
tions governing the fur trade in Canada, and in 
1765, when Henry made his second expedition, 
some features of the old system were still preserved. No 
person was permitted to enter the countries lying north- 
west of Detroit unless furnished with a license, and 
military commanders had the privilege of granting to 
any individual the exclusive trade of particular dis- 
tricts. 

At this time beaver were worth two shillings and six- 
pence per pound; otter skins, six shillings each; mar- 
tens, one shilling and sixpence; all this in nominal 
Michilimackinac currency, although here fur was still 
the current coin. Henry loaded his four canoes with 
the value of ten thousand pounds' weight of good and 
merchantable beaver. For provision he purchased fifty 
bushels of corn, at ten pounds of beaver per bushel. 
He took into partnership Monsieur Cadotte, and leaving 
Michilimackinac July 14, and Sault Sainte-Marie the 
26th, he proceeded to his wintering ground at Chagoue- 

36 



Alexander Henry 37 

mig. On the 19th of August he reached the river 
Ontonagan, notable for its abundance of native copper, 
which the Indians used to manufacture into spoons 
and bracelets for themselves. This they did by the 
mere process of hammering it out. Not far beyond 
this river he met Indians, to whom he gave credit. 
"The prices were for a stroud blanket, ten beaver skins; 
for a white blanket, eight; a pound of powder, two; a 
pound of shot or of ball, one; a gun, twenty; an axe 
of one pound weight, two; a knife, one." As the value 
of a skin was about one dollar, the prices to the Ind- 
ians were fairly high. 

Chagouemig, where Henry wintered, is now known 
as Chequamegon. It is in Wisconsin, a bay which 
partly divides Bayfield from Ashland county, and seems 
always to have been a great gathering place for Indians. 
There were now about fifty lodges here, making, with 
those who had followed Henry, about one hundred 
families. All were poor, their trade having been in- 
terfered with by the English invasion of Canada and by 
Pontiac's war. Henry was obliged to distribute goods 
to them to the amount of three thousand beaver skins, 
and this done, the Indians separated to look for fur. 
Henry sent a clerk to Fond du Lac with two loaded 
canoes; Fond du Lac being, roughly, the site of the 
present city of Duluth. As soon as Henry was fairly 
settled, he built a house, and began to collect fish from 
the lake as food for the winter. Before long he had 
two thousand trout and whitefish, the former frequently 
weighing fifty pounds each, the latter from four to six. 



38 Trails of the Pathfinders 

They were preserved by being hung up by the tail and 
did not thaw during the winter. When the bay froze 
over, Henry amused himself by spearing trout, and 
sometimes caught a hundred in a day, each weighing 
on an average twenty pounds. 

He had some difficulty with the first hunting party 
which brought furs. The men crowded into his house 
and demanded rum, and when he refused it, they threat- 
ened to take all he had. His men were frightened and 
all abandoned him. He got hold of a gun, however, 
and on threatening to shoot the first who should lay 
hands on anything, the disturbance began to subside 
and was presently at an end. He now buried the Hquor 
that he had, and when the Indians were finally per- 
suaded that he had none to give them, they went and 
came very peaceably, paying their debts and purchas- 
ing goods. 

The ice broke up in April, and by the middle of May 
the Indians began to come in with their furs, so that 
by the close of the spring Henry found himself with a 
hundred and fifty packs of beaver, weighing a hundred 
pounds each, besides twenty-five packs of otter and 
marten skins. These he took to Michilimackinac, ac- 
companied by fifty canoes of Indians, who still had a 
hundred packs of beaver that they did not sell. It ap- 
pears, therefore, that Henry's ten thousand pounds of 
beaver brought him fifty per cent, profit in beaver, be- 
sides the otter and the marten skins which he had. 

On his way back he went up the Ontonagan River 
to see the celebrated mass of copper there, which he 



Alexander Henry 39 

estimated to weigh no less than five tons. So pure was 
it that with an axe he chopped off a piece weighing a 
hundred pounds. This great mass of copper, which 
had been worked at for no one knows how long by Ind- 
ians and by early explorers, lay there for eighty years 
after Henry saw it; and finally, in 1843, was removed 
to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. It was 
then estimated to weigh between three and four tons, 
and the cost of transporting it to the national capital 
was about ^3,500. 

The following winter was passed at Sault Sainte- 
Marie, and was rather an unhappy one, as the fishery 
failed, and there was great suffering from hunger. 
Canadians and Indians gathered there from the sur- 
rounding country, driven in by lack of food. Among the 
incidents of the winter was the arrival of a young man 
who had been guilty of cannibalism. He was killed by 
the Indians, not so much as punishment, as from the 
fear that he would kill and eat some of their children. 

A journey to a neighboring bay resulted in no great 
catch of fish, and returning to the Sault, Henry started 
for Michilimackinac. At the first encampment, an 
hour's fishing procured them seven trout, of from ten 
to twenty pounds' weight. A little later they met a 
camp of Indians who had fish, and shared with them; 
and the following day Henry killed a caribou, by which 
they camped and on which they subsisted for two days. 

The following winter Henry stopped at Michipicoten, 
on the north side of Lake Superior, and about a hun- 
dred and fifty miles from the Sault. Here there were 



40 Trails of the Pathfinders 

a few people known as Gens des Terres, a tribe of Algon- 
quins, living in middle Canada, and ranging from the 
Athabasca country east to Lake Temiscamingue. A 
few of them still live near the St. Maurice River, in the 
Province of Quebec. These people, though miserably 
poor, and occupying a country containing very few 
animals, had a high reputation for honesty and worth. 
Therefore, Henry gave to every man credit for one hun- 
dred beaver skins, and to every woman thirty — a very 
large credit. 

There was some game in this country, a few cari- 
bou, and some hares and partridges. The hills were 
well wooded with sugar-maples, and from these, when 
spring came, Henry made sugar; and for a time this 
was their sole provision, each man consuming a pound 
a day, desiring no other food, and being visibly nour- 
ished by the sugar. Soon after this, wildfowl appeared 
in such abundance that subsistence for fifty could 
without difficulty be shot daily by one man, but this 
lasted only for a week, by which time the birds all de- 
parted. By the end of May all to whom Henry had 
advanced goods returned, and of the two thousand 
skins for which he had given them credit, not thirty re- 
mained unpaid. The small loss that he did suffer was 
occasioned by the death of one of the Indians, whose 
family brought all the skins of which he died pos- 
sessed, and offered to contribute among themselves the 
balance. 

The following winter was also to be passed at Michi- 
picoten, and in the month of October, after all the 



Alexander Henry 41 

Indians had received their goods and had gone away, 
Henry set out for the Sault on a visit. He took Httle 
provision, only a quart of corn for each person. 

On the first night they camped on an island sacred to 
Nanibojou, one of the Chippewa gods, and failed to 
offer the tobacco which an Indian would always have 
presented to the spirit. In the night a violent storm 
arose which continued for three days. When it abated 
on the third day they went to examine the net which 
they had set for fish, and found it gone. The wind was 
ahead to return to Michipicoten, and they steered for 
the Sault; but that night the wind shifted and blew a 
gale for nine days following. They soon began to 
starve, and though Henry hunted faithfully, he killed 
nothing more than two snowbirds. One of his men in- 
formed him that the other two had proposed to kill and 
eat a young woman, whom they were taking to the 
Sault, and when taxed with the proposition, these two 
men had the hardihood to acknowledge it. The next 
morning, Henry, still searching for food, found on a 
rock the tripe de roche, a Hchen, which, when cooked, 
yields a jelly which will support hfe. The discovery 
of this food, on which they supported themselves there- 
after, undoubtedly saved the life of the poor woman. 
When they embarked on the evening of the ninth day 
they were weak and miserable; but, luckily, the next 
morning, meeting two canoes of Indians, they received 
a gift of fish, and at once landed to feast on them. 

In the spring of 1769, and for some years afterward, 
Henry turned his attention more or less to mines. He 



42 Trails of the Pathfinders 

visited the He de Maurepas, said to contain shining 
rocks and stones of rare description, but was much dis- 
appointed in the island, which seemed commonplace 
enough. A year later Mr. Baxter, with whom Henry 
had formed a partnership for copper mining, returned, 
and during the following winter, at Sault Sainte-Marie, 
they built vessels for navigating the lakes. Henry 
had heard of an island (Caribou Island) in Lake Su- 
perior described as covered with a heavy yellow sand 
like gold-dust, and guarded by enormous snakes. With 
Mr. Baxter he searched for this island and finally 
found it, but neither yellow sands nor snakes nor gold. 
Hawks there were in abundance, and one of them 
picked Henry's cap from his head. There were also 
caribou, and they killed thirteen, and found many 
complete and undisturbed skeletons. Continuing their 
investigations into the mines about the lakes, they 
found abundant copper ore, and some supposed to con- 
tain silver. But their final conclusion was that the 
cost of carrying the copper ore to Montreal must ex- 
ceed its marketable value. 

In June, 1775, Henry left Sault Sainte-Marie with four 
large canoes and twelve small ones, carrying goods and 
provisions to the value of three thousand pounds ster- 
ling. He passed west, over the Grand Portage, en- 
tered Lac a la Pluie, passed down to the Lake of the 
Woods, and finally reached Lake Winipegon. Here 
there were Crees, variously known as Christinaux, Kin- 
istineaux, Killistinoes, and Killistinaux. Lake Wini- 
pegon is sometimes called the Lake of the Crees. These 



Alexander Henry 43 

people were primitive. Almost entirely naked, the 
whole body was painted with red ochre; the head was 
wholly shaved, or the hair was plucked out, except a 
spot on the crown, where it grew long and was rolled 
and gathered into a tuft; the ears were pierced, and 
filled with bones of fishes and land animals. The 
women, on the other hand, had long hair, which was 
gathered into a roll on either side of the head above 
the ear, and was covered with a piece of skin, painted 
or ornamented with beads of various colors. The tradi- 
tions of the Cheyennes of to-day point back to precisely 
similar methods of dressing the hair of the women and 
of painting the men. 

The Crees were friendly, and gave the traveller pres- 
ents of wild rice and dried meat. He kept on along the 
lake and soon joined Peter Pond, a well-known trader 
of early days. A little later, in early September, the 
two Frobishers and Mr. Patterson overtook them. On 
the 1st of October they reached the River de Bourbon, 
now known as the Saskatchewan, and proceeded up 
it, using the tow-line to overcome the Great Rapids. 
They passed on into Lake de Bourbon, now Cedar Lake, 
and by old Fort Bourbon, built by the Sieur de Veren- 
drye. At the mouth of the Pasquayah River they found 
a village of Swampy Crees, the chief of whom expressed 
his gratification at their coming, but remarked that, as 
it would be possible for him to kill them all when they 
returned, he expected them to be extremely liberal with 
their presents. He then specified what it was that he 
desired, namely, three casks of gunpowder, four bags of 



44 Trails of the Pathfinders 

shot and ball, two bales of tobacco, three kegs of rum, 
and three guns, together with many smaller articles. 
Finally he declared that he was a peaceable man, and 
always tried to get along without quarrels. The trad- 
ers were obliged to submit to being thus robbed, and 
passed on up the river to Cumberland House. Here 
they separated, M. Cadotte going on with four canoes 
to the Fort des Prairies, a name given then and later to 
many of the trading posts built on the prairie. This 
one is probably that Fort des Prairies which was situated 
just below the junction of the north and south forks of 
the Saskatchewan River, and was known as Fort Nip- 
pewen. Mr. Pond, with two canoes, went to Fort 
Dauphin, on Lake Dauphin, while the Messrs. Fro- 
bisher and Henry agreed to winter together on Beaver 
Lake. Here they found a good place for a post, and 
were soon well lodged. Fish were abundant, and the 
post soon assumed the appearance of a settlement. 
Owing to the lateness of the season, their canoes could 
not be buried in the ground, as was the common prac- 
tice, and they were therefore placed on scaffolds. The 
fishing here was very successful, and moose were killed. 
The Indians brought in beaver and bear's meat, and 
some skins for sale. 

In January, 1776, Henry left the fort on Beaver Lake, 
attended by two men, and provided with dried meat, 
frozen fish, and cornmeal, to make an excursion over 
the plains, "or, as the French denominate them, the 
Prairies, or Meadows." There was snow on the ground, 
and the baggage was hauled by the men on sledges. 



Alexander Henry 45 

The cold was bitter, but they were provided with "ox 
skins, which the traders call buffalo robes." 

Beaver Lake was in the wooded country, and, indeed, 
all Henry's journeyings hitherto had been through a 
region that was timbered; but here, striking south and 
west, by way of Cumberland House, he says, " I was 
not far advanced before the country betrayed some ap- 
proaches to the characteristic nakedness of the plains. 
The wood dwindled away, both in size and quantity, 
so that it was with difficulty we could collect sufficient 
for making a fire, and without fire we could not drink, 
for melted snow was our only resource, the ice on the 
river being too thick to be penetrated by the axe." 
Moreover, the weather was bitterly cold, and after a 
time provisions grew scanty. No game was seen and 
no trace of anything human. The men began to starve 
and to grow weak, but as tracks of elk and moose were 
seen, Henry cheered them up by teUing them that they 
would certainly kill something before long. 

"On the twentieth, the last remains of our provisions 
were expended; but I had taken the precaution to con- 
ceal a cake of chocolate in reserve for an occasion like 
that which was now arrived. Toward evening my men, 
after walking the whole day, began to lose their strength, 
but we nevertheless kept on our feet till it was late, and 
when we encamped I informed them of the treasure 
which was still in store. I desired them to fill the kettle 
with snow, and argued with them the while that the 
chocolate would keep us alive for five days at least, an 
interval in which we should surely meet with some Ind- 



46 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ian at the chase. Their spirits revived at the sugges- 
tion, and, the kettle being filled with two gallons of 
water, I put into it one square of the chocolate. The 
quantity was scarcely sufficient to alter the color of the 
water, but each of us drank half a gallon of the warm 
liquor, by which we were much refreshed, and in its 
enjoyment felt no more of the fatigues of the day. In 
the morning we allowed ourselves a similar repast, after 
finishing which we marched vigorously for six hours. 
But now the spirits of my companions again deserted 
them, and they declared that they neither would, nor 
could, proceed any further. For myself, they advised 
me to leave them, and accomplish the journey as I 
could; but for themselves, they said, that they must 
die soon, and might as well die where they were as 
anywhere else. 

"While things were in this melancholy posture, I 
filled the kettle and boiled another square of chocolate. 
When prepared I prevailed upon my desponding com- 
panions to return to their warm beverage. On taking 
it they recovered inconceivably, and, after smoking a 
pipe, consented to go forward. While their stomachs 
were comforted by the warm water they walked well, 
but as evening approached fatigue overcame them, and 
they relapsed into their former condition, and, the choc- 
olate being now almost entirely consumed, I began to 
fear that I must really abandon them, for I was able 
to endure more hardship than they, and, had it not 
been for keeping company with them, I could have 
advanced double the distance within the time which 



Alexander Henry 47 

had been spent. To my great joy, however, the usual 
quantity of warm water revived them. 

''For breakfast the next morning I put the last square 
of chocolate into the kettle, and, our meal finished, we 
began our march in but very indifferent spirits. We 
were surrounded by large herds of wolves which some- 
times came close upon us, and who knew, as we were 
prone to think, the extremity in which we were, and 
marked us for their prey; but I carried a gun, and this 
was our protection. I fired several times, but unfor- 
tunately missed at each, for a morsel of wolf's flesh 
would have afforded us a banquet. 

"Our misery, nevertheless, was still nearer its end 
than we imagined, and the event was such as to give 
one of the innumerable proofs that despair is not made 
for man. Before sunset we discovered on the ice some 
remains of the bones of an elk left there by the wolves. 
Having instantly gathered them, we encamped, and, 
filling our kettle, prepared ourselves a meal of strong 
and excellent soup. The greater part of the night was 
passed in boiling and regaling on our booty, and early 
in the morning we felt ourselves strong enough to pro- 
ceed. 

"This day, the twenty-fifth, we found the borders 
of the plains reaching to the very banks of the river, 
which were two hundred feet above the level of the ice. 
Water marks presented themselves at twenty feet above 
the actual level. 

"Want had lost his dominion over us. At noon we 
saw the horns of a red deer [an elk or wapiti] standing 



48 Trails of the Pathfinders 

in the snow on the river. On examination we found 
that the whole carcass was with them, the animal having 
broke through the ice in the beginning of the winter in 
attempting to cross the river too early in the season, 
while his horns, fastening themselves in the ice, had 
prevented him from sinking. By cutting away the ice 
we were enabled to lay bare a part of the back and 
shoulders, and thus procure a stock of food amply suf- 
ficient for the rest of our journey. We accordingly 
encamped and employed our kettle to good purpose, 
forgot all our misfortunes, and prepared to walk with 
cheerfulness the twenty leagues which, as we reckoned, 
still lay between ourselves and Fort des Prairies. 

"Though the deer must have been in this situation 
ever since the month of November, yet its flesh was 
perfectly good. Its horns alone were five foot high or 
more, and it will therefore not appear extraordinary 
that they should be seen above the snow. 

"On the twenty-seventh, in the morning, we discov- 
ered the print of snow-shoes, demonstrating that several 
persons had passed that way the day before. These 
were the first marks of other human feet than our own 
which we had seen since our leaving Cumberland House, 
and it was much to feel that we had fellow-creatures 
in the wide waste surrounding us. In the evening we 
reached the fort." 

At Fort des Prairies, Henry saw more provisions than 
he had ever before dreamed of. In one heap he saw 
fifty tons of buffalo meat, so fat that the men could 
hardly find meat lean enough to eat. Immediately 



Alexander Henry 49 

south of this plains country, which he was on the edge 
of, was the land of the Osinipoilles [Assiniboines, a 
tribe of the Dakota or Sioux nation], and some of 
these people being at the fort, Henry determined to 
visit them at their village, and on the 5th of February 
set out to do so. The Indians whom they accompanied 
carried their baggage on dog travois. They used snow- 
shoes and travelled swiftly, and at night camped in the 
shelter of a little grove of wood. There were fourteen 
people in the tent in which Henry slept that night, but 
these were not enough to keep each other warm. They 
started each morning at daylight, and travelled as long 
as they could, and over snow that was often four feet 
deep. During the journey they saw buffalo, which 
Henry calls wild oxen, but did not disturb them, as 
they had no time to do so, and no means of carrying 
the flesh if they had killed any. One night they met two 
young men who had come out to meet the party. They 
had not known that there were white men with it, and 
announced that they must return to advise the chief 
of this; but before they could start, a storm came up 
which prevented their departure. All that night and 
part of the next day the wind blew fiercely, with drift- 
ing snow. "In the morning we were alarmed by the 
approach of a herd of oxen, who came from the open 
ground to shelter themselves in the wood. Their num- 
bers were so great that we dreaded lest they should 
fairly trample down the camp; nor could it have hap- 
pened otherwise but for the dogs, almost as numerous 
as they, who were able to keep them in check. The 



50 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Indians killed several when close upon their tents, but 
neither the fire of the Indians nor the noise of the dogs 
could soon drive them av^ay. Whatever were the ter- 
rors which filled the wood, they had no other escape 
from the terrors of the storm." 

Two days later they reached the neighborhood of the 
camp, which was situated in a woody island. Messen- 
gers came to welcome them, and a guard armed with 
bows and spears, evidently the soldiers, to escort them 
to the home which had been assigned them. They were 
quartered in a comfortable skin lodge, seated on buffalo 
robes; women brought them water for washing, and 
presently a man invited them to a feast, himself show- 
ing them the way to the head chief's tent. The usual 
smoking, feasting, and speech-making followed. 

These Osinipoilles seemed not before to have seen 
white men, for when walking about the camp, crowds 
of women and children followed them, very respectfully, 
but evidently devoured by insatiable curiosity. Water 
here was obtained by hanging a buffalo paunch ket- 
tle filled with snow in the smoke of the fire, and, as 
the snow melted, more and more was added, until the 
paunch was full of water. During their stay they never 
had occasion to cook in the lodge, being constantly in- 
vited to feasts. They had with them always the guard 
of soldiers, who were careful to allow no one to crowd 
upon or annoy the travellers. They had been here but 
a short time when the head chief sent them word that 
he was going to hunt buffalo the next day, and asked 
them to be of the party. 



Alexander Henry 51 

"In the morning we went to the hunt accordingly. 
The chief was followed by about forty men and a great 
number of women. We proceeded to a small island [of 
timber] on the plain, at the distance of five miles from 
the village. On our way we saw large herds of oxen 
at feed, but the hunters forebore to molest them lest 
they should take the alarm. 

"Arrived at the island, the women pitched a few tents, 
while the chief led his hunters to its southern end, where 
there was a pound or inclosure. The fence was about 
four feet high, and formed of strong stakes of birch 
wood, wattled with smaller branches of the same. The 
day was spent in making repairs, and by the evening 
all was ready for the hunt. 

"At daylight several of the more expert hunters were 
sent to decoy the animals into the pound. They were 
dressed in ox skins, with the hair and horns. Their 
faces were covered, and their gestures so closely resem- 
bled those of the animals themselves that, had I not 
been in the secret, I should have been as much deceived 
as the oxen. 

"At ten o'clock one of the hunters returned, bring- 
ing information of the herd. Immediately all the dogs 
were muzzled; and, this done, the whole crowd of men 
and women surrounded the outside of the pound. The 
herd, of which the extent was so great that I cannot 
pretend to estimate the numbers, was distant half a 
mile, advancing slowly, and frequently stopping to 
feed. The part played by the decoyers was that of 
approaching them within hearing and then bellowing 



52 Trails of the Pathfinders 

like themselves. On hearing the noise, the oxen did 
not fail to give it attention, and, whether from curiosity 
or sympathy, advanced to meet those from whom it 
proceeded. These, in the meantime, fell back dehb- 
erately toward the pound, always repeating the call 
whenever the oxen stopped. This was reiterated till 
the leaders of the herd had followed the decoyers into 
the jaws of the pound, which, though wide asunder 
toward the plain, terminated, Hke a funnel, in a small 
aperture or gateway, and within this was the pound 
itself. The Indians remark that in all herds of ani- 
mals there are chiefs, or leaders, by whom the motions 
of the rest are determined. 

*'The decoyers now retired within the pound, and 
were followed by the oxen. But the former retired 
still further, withdrawing themselves at certain movable 
parts of the fence, while the latter were fallen upon by 
all the hunters and presently wounded and killed by 
showers of arrows. Amid the uproar which ensued the 
oxen made several attempts to force the fence, but the 
Indians stopped them and drove them back by shak- 
ing skins before their eyes. Skins were also made use 
of to stop the entrance, being let down by strings as 
soon as the oxen were inside. The slaughter was pro- 
longed till the evening, when the hunters returned to 
their tents. Next morning all the tongues were pre- 
sented to the chief, to the number of seventy-two. 

"The women brought the meat to the village on 
sledges drawn by dogs. The lumps on the shoulders, 
and the hearts, as well as the tongues, were set apart 



Alexander Henry 53 

for feasts, while the rest was consumed as ordinary food, 
or dried, for sale at the fort." 

Henry has much to say about the Assiniboines, their 
methods of hunting, religion, marriage, healing, and 
many other customs. He notes especially their cruelty 
to their slaves, and says that the Assiniboines seldom 
married captive women. 

On the 19th of February the Assiniboine camp started 
to the Fort des Prairies, and on the 28th camped at a 
little distance from it; but Henry and his companions 
went on, and reached the post that evening. Henry 
declares that "The Osinipoilles at this period had had 
no acquaintance with any foreign nation sufficient to 
affect their ancient and pristine habits. Like the other 
Indians, they were cruel to their enemies; but, as far as 
the experience of myself and other Europeans authorizes 
me to speak, they were a harmless people with a large 
share of simplicity of manners and plain dealing. They 
lived in fear of the Cristinaux, by whom they were not 
only frequently imposed upon, but pillaged, when the 
latter met their bands in smaller numbers than their 
own." 

On the 22d of March Henry set out to return to 
Beaver Lake. They reached Cumberland House on 
the 5th of April, and Beaver Lake on the 9th. The 
lake was still covered with ice, and fish had grown 
scarce, so that it was necessary to keep fishing all the 
time in order to provide sustenance. Early in May, 
however, water-fowl made their appearance, and for 
some little time there was abundance. They left their 



54 Trails of the Pathfinders 

post on the 2 1 st of April, very short of provisions. They 
travelled slowly, finally coming to a large lake which, 
on the 6th of June, was still frozen over, but the ice 
was too weak to be crossed. The Indians killed some 
moose. On reaching Churchill River they set out 
for Lake Arabuthcow [Athabasca] with six Canadians 
and an Indian woman as guide. The river was some- 
times broad and slow-flowing, and again narrow and 
very rapid. Fish were plenty. On January 24th they 
reached Isle a la Crosse Lake, and met a number of 
Indians, to whom they made presents and whom they 
invited to visit them at their fort. These Indians seem 
to have been Chipewyans, known to ethnologists as 
Athabascans. They accepted the white men's invita- 
tion, and all started for the fort, continuing the journey 
day and night, stopping only to boil the kettle. 

The discipline among these Athabasca Indians seemed 
exceedingly good, as, in fact, it usually was in primitive 
times. The orders given by the chief were conscien- 
tiously obeyed, and this under circumstances of much 
temptation, since, when liquor was being served out to 
the young men, a certain number were told off who were 
ordered not to drink at all, but to maintain a constant 
guard over the white men. 

In the trade which followed, the Indians dehvered 
their skins at a small window in the fort, made for that 
purpose, asking at the same time for the different arti- 
cles they wished to purchase, of which the prices had 
been previously settled with the chiefs. The trade 
lasted for more than two days, and amounted to 12,000 



Alexander Henry 55 

beaver skins, besides large numbers of otter and mar- 
ten skins. These Indians had come from Lake Ara- 
buthcow, at which they had wintered. They reported 
that at the farther end of that lake was a river called 
Peace River, which descended from the Stony or Rocky 
Mountains, from which mountains the distance to the 
Salt Lake, meaning the Pacific Ocean, was not great. 
Other things the Indians told Henry which he did not 
then understand, but a few years later Alexander Mac- 
kenzie was to meet these problems and to solve many 
of them. These Indians dressed in beaver skins, and 
were orderly and unoffending. Mr. Joseph Frobisher 
and Henry now set out to return to the Grand Portage, 
leaving the remainder of their merchandise in the care 
of Thomas Frobisher, who was to go with them to Lake 
Athabasca. 

When Henry reached the Lake of the Woods he 
found there some Indians, who told him that a strange 
nation had entered Montreal, taken Quebec, killed all 
the English, and would certainly be at the Grand Port- 
age before they reached there. Henry remarked to his 
companion that he suspected the Bastonnais had been 
up to some mischief in Canada, and the Indians at 
once exclaimed, "Yes, that's the name, Bastonnais." 
Bastonnais or Bostonnais, that is, "Boston men," was 
a name commonly used in the Northwest to distinguish 
the Americans from the EngHsh, or "King George 
men." 

Without further accident Henry reached the Grand 
Portage, from which place he continued to Montreal, 



56 Trails of the Pathfinders 

which he reached the 15th of October. Here he found 
that the Americans had been driven out, and that the 
city was protected by the forces of General Burgoyne. 
The capture of Montreal took place in the fall of 
1775, and Quebec was besieged during the winter of 
1 775-1 776, and it was nearly a year later that Henry 
heard the news at the Lake of the Woods. 

This ends the account of Henry's travels, but he was 
still in the fur trade for many years later. In 1785 he 
was a leading merchant of Montreal, and in 1790 he 
returned to Michilimackinac. 

His book was published in New York in 1809, and 
thus not until eight years after the publication of Alex- 
ander Mackenzie's great work. Henry died in Mon- 
treal, April 4, 1824, in the 85th year of his age. 

Besides himself being a fur trader, Henry was a 
father of fur traders. His son, William Henry, is con- 
stantly mentioned in the diary of Alexander Henry the 
younger. A second son, Alexander, was also in the 
fur trade, and was killed on the Liard River. Alex- 
ander Henry the younger, a nephew, is well known, 
and will be noticed hereafter. A Mr. Bethune, con- 
stantly spoken of by Alexander Henry, Jr., may, or 
may not, have been a relative. Certain it is that Alex- 
ander Henry had nephews named Bethune. 

The narrative is remarkable from its simplicity and 
clearness of style, as well as for the keen powers of ob- 
servation shown by the writer. It is one of the most 
interesting of the many interesting volumes on the fur 
trade of its own and later times. 



CHAPTER IV 
JONATHAN CARVER 

AT the close of the "late war with France," when 
peace had been established by the treaty of Ver- 
sailles, in the year 1763, Jonathan Carver, the 
captain of a company of provincial troops during the 
French and Indian War, began to consider how he 
might continue to do service to his country and contrib- 
ute as much as lay in his power to make advantageous 
to Great Britain that vast territory which had been ac- 
quired by that war in North America. What this ter- 
ritory was, how far it extended, what were its products, 
who were its inhabitants, were some of the questions 
that suggested themselves to Carver. He was a good 
patriot, and felt that knowledge as to these points would 
be of the greatest importance to his country. With the 
natural suspicion that Englishmen of his time felt of 
the French, he believed that they, while they retained 
their power in North America, had taken every artful 
method to keep all other nations, particularly the Eng- 
Hsh, ignorant of everything concerning the interior parts 
of the country. "To accomplish this design with the 
greatest certainty," he says, "they had published in- 

57 



58 Trails of the Pathfinders 

accurate maps and false accounts; calling the different 
nations of the Indians by nicknames they had given 
them, and not by those really appertaining to them. 
Whether the intention of the French in doing this was 
to prevent these nations from being discovered and 
traded with, or to conceal their discourse, when they 
talked to each other of the Indian concerns, in their 
presence, I will not determine; but whatsoever was the 
cause from which it arose, it tended to mislead." 

Carver contemplated something more important and 
far-reaching than the mere investigation of the country, 
for he says: "What I chiefly had in view after gaining 
a knowledge of the manners, customs, languages, soil, 
and natural products of the different nations that in- 
habit the back of the Mississippi, was to ascertain the 
breadth of that vast continent from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific Ocean in its broadest part, between 43 and 46 
degrees north latitude. Had I been able to accomplish 
this, I intended to have proposed to the government to 
establish a post in some of those parts about the Straits 
of Annian [Puget Sound] which, having been first dis- 
covered by Sir Francis Drake, of course belonged to 
the English. This, I am convinced, would greatly 
facilitate the discovery of the northwest passage, or a 
communication between Hudson's Bay and the Pacific 
Ocean, an event so desirable, and which has been so 
often sought for, but without success. Besides this im- 
portant end, a settlement on that extremity of America 
would answer many good purposes, and repay every 
expense the estabhshment of it might occasion. For 



Jonathan Carver 59 

it would not only disclose new sources of trade, and pro- 
mote many useful discoveries, but would open a passage 
for conveying intelligence to China, and the English 
settlements in the East Indies, with greater expedition 
than a tedious voyage by the Cape of Good Hope or 
the Straits of Magellan would allow of." 

Carver's projects for crossing the continent to the 
Pacific Ocean proved abortive; yet he travelled into the 
interior nearly as far as any one had hitherto advanced. 
True, the Verendryes and one or two of the Jesuit 
Fathers went beyond him on this parallel of latitude; 
yet the work which Carver published is almost the 
first that touches on a region lying well within the bor- 
ders of the Louisiana Purchase, and now one of the 
most important sections of the United States. 

In his introduction, Carver has a prophetic word to 
say about the unhappy relations existing, when he wrote, 
between Great Britain and America. "To what power 
or authority this new world will become dependent, 
after it has arisen from its present uncultivated state, 
time alone can discover. But as the seat of Empire, 
from time immemorial, has been gradually progressive 
toward the west, there is no doubt but that at some 
future period, mighty kingdoms will emerge from these 
wildernesses, and stately palaces and solemn temples, 
with gilded spires reaching the skies, supplant the Ind- 
ians' huts, whose only decorations are the barbarous tro- 
phies of their vanquished enemies." 

In June, 1766, Carver left Boston for the interior 
parts of North America. He has httle to say about 



6o Trails of the Pathfinders 

the country lying adjacent to the "back-settlements," 
which, he observes, have often been described. He 
passed through the Great Lakes, mentioning as he goes 
various Indian tribes and some of the products of the 
country, stopped some little time at the great town of 
the Winnebagoes, at Lake Winnebago, in Wisconsin, 
where he was very civilly received. At this time these 
people had a queen, or woman chief. He discusses 
this tribe at some length, and incidentally repeats 
a curious story: "An elderly chief more particularly 
acquainted me that, about forty-six winters ago, he 
marched, at the head of fifty warriors, toward the south- 
west for three moons. That during this expedition, 
whilst they were crossing a plain, they discovered a 
body of men on horseback, who belonged to the Black 
People; for so they call the Spaniards. As soon as 
they perceived them, they proceeded with caution, and 
concealed themselves till night came on; when they 
drew so near as to be able to discern the number and 
situation of their enemies. Finding they were not able 
to cope with so great a superiority by daylight, they 
waited till they had retired to rest; when they rushed 
upon them, and after having killed the greatest part 
of the men, took eighty horses loaded with what they 
termed white stone. This I suppose to have been silver, 
as he told me the horses were shod with it, and that 
their bridles were ornamented with the same. When 
they had satiated their revenge, they carried off their 
spoil, and being got so far as to be out of reach of the 
Spaniards that had escaped their fury, they left the use- 



Jonathan Carver 6i 

less and ponderous burthen, with which the horses 
were loaded, in the woods, and mounting themselves, 
in this manner returned to their friends. The party 
they had thus defeated, I conclude to be the caravan 
that annually conveys to Mexico the silver which the 
Spaniards find in great quantities on the mountains 
lying near the heads of the Colorado River; and the 
plains where the attack was made, probably, some they 
were obliged to pass over in their way to the heads of 
the River St. Fee, or Rio del Nord, which falls into the 
Gulf of Mexico to the west of the Mississippi." 

From the Winnebago town. Carver proceeded up 
the Fox River, and then carried across a short distance 
to the Ouisconsin River, and proceeded down that. 
Here he found the great town of the Saukies, the lar- 
gest and best built Indian town he ever saw. It con- 
sisted of "about ninety houses, each large enough for 
several families, built of hewn plank, neatly jointed, 
and covered with bark so compactly as to keep out the 
most penetrating rains." The streets were regular and 
spacious; and it appeared more like a civilized town 
than the abode of savages. About the town lay the 
plantations of the Indians, in which they raised great 
quantities of corn, beans, and melons; and their an- 
nual product was so large that this place was esteemed 
the best market for traders to furnish themselves with 
provisions of any within eight hundred miles. Near 
the mouth of the Wisconsin River, on the banks of the 
Mississippi, the Ottigaumies — Outagami, i.e., "people 
of the other band," that is the Foxes — had a large town. 



62 Trails of the Pathfinders 

at a place called "La Prairie des Chiens [Carver writes 
this name in various ways], which signifies Dog 
Plains," a great trading place. 

About the first of November, Carver reached Lake 
Pepin, and speaks with the greatest enthusiasm of the 
beauty of the country, its apparent productiveness, and 
the extraordinary number of game and wild fowl seen 
near about it. "On the plains," he says, "are the 
largest bufi'alo of any in America. In the groves are 
found great plenty of turkeys and partridges; while 
great numbers of fowl, such as storks, swans, geese, 
brants, and ducks frequent the lake." A little below 
that lake he discovered, in a fine, level, open plain, 
what had once been a breastwork, about four feet in 
height, extending the best part of a mile, and suflliciently 
capacious to cover five thousand men; one of the fa- 
mous mounds for which the Mississippi Valley has so 
long been celebrated. 

About thirty miles above Lake Pepin, near the St. 
Croix River, Carver met three bands of the Naudowes- 
sie — Sioux — Indians; and while he was there a war 
party of Chippewas approached the camp, and seemed 
to be preparing for an attack. The Sioux requested 
Carver to help them, to put himself at their head and 
lead them against their enemies. This the traveller 
was of course unwilling to do, for his work in the coun- 
try made it important that he should be friendly with 
all people. He endeavored to persuade the Sioux to 
allow him to attempt to make peace with the Chippe- 
was, and when at length they assented, he met the in- 



Jonathan Carver 63 



vaders and succeeded in inducing them to turn back 
without making an attack. He then persuaded the 
Sioux to move their camp to another part of the coun- 
try, lest the Chippewas should change their mind 
and return to attack them. Carver declares that this 
diplomatic success gained him great credit with both 
Sioux and Chippewas; that to it he was indebted for 
the friendly reception that he afterward met with the 
Naudowessie of the Plains; and that when many 
months later he reached the village of the Chippewas, 
farther to the north, he was received with great cor- 
diality by the chiefs, many of whom thanked him for 
having prevented the mischief. 

About thirty miles below the Falls of St. Anthony, 
Carver was shown a remarkable cave of amazing depth, 
which the Indians called Wacon-teebe — Wakan tipi, 
mysterious or sacred dwelhng — that is to say, "the 
Dwelling of the Great Spirit." Within it is a lake, 
which "extends to an unsearchable distance; for the 
darkness of the cave prevents all attempts to acquire a 
knowledge of it." The walls are covered with many 
Indian hieroglyphics, which seem to be very ancient, 
for time had nearly covered them with moss. The 
Falls of St. Anthony greatly impressed Carver, as they 
did the young Indian in his company. 

At the mouth of the river St. Francis, Carver says, 
"I observed here many deer and carraboes — a record 
for the caribou unusually far south for the mid conti- 
nent — some elk, with abundance of beavers, otters and 
other furs. Not far above this, to the northeast, are a 



64 Trails of the Pathfinders 

number of small lakes called the Thousand Lakes; 
the parts about which though but little frequented, 
are the best within many miles for hunting, as the 
hunter never fails of returning loaded beyond his ex- 
pectations." 

Above the St. Francis River, the Mississippi was new 
ground, for Hennepin, the river's first explorer, had not 
passed up it farther than the St. Francis, and Carver 
remarks that, "As this river is not navigable from sea 
for vessels of any considerable burthen, much higher 
up than the forks of the Ohio, and even that is accom- 
plished with great difficulty, owing to the rapidity of 
the current, and the windings of the river, those settle- 
ments which may be made on the interior branches 
of it must be indisputably secure from the attacks of 
any maritime power. But at the same time the settlers 
will have the advantage of being able to convey their 
produce to the sea-ports with great facility, the current 
of the river, from its source to its entrance into the 
Gulph of Mexico, being extremely favorable for doing 
this in small craft. This might also in time be facili- 
tated by canals or shorter cuts; and a communication 
opened by water with New York, Canada, etc., by 
way of the lakes." 

Returning to the mouth of the river St. Pierre, now 
the Minnesota River, Carver ascended this about two 
hundred miles, to the country of the Naudowessie of the 
Plains. The northern branch of the river St. Pierre 
rises, he says, from a number of lakes near the Shining 
Mountains; and it is from some of these also that a 



Jonathan Carver 65 

capital branch of the river Bourbon — the York, now 
Nelson River — which runs into Hudson's Bay, has 
its sources. All this geography comes from the ac- 
counts of Indians, and is clearly misunderstood as to 
distance and location, for Carver says, also, that the 
river Messorie, which enters the Mississippi far to the 
southward, also takes its rise at the head of the river 
St. Pierre. His distances were very far from right, for 
he makes the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the river 
Bourbon, and the Oregon, or River of the West (Co- 
lumbia), head all together in these high mountains. 

At the great Sioux camp, which he came to on this 
river, and which he estimated to contain a thousand 
people, most of whom had never seen a white man, he 
was most hospitably received. He spent the winter 
with them, studying their language, acquiring so far as 
possible a knowledge of the geography of the country, 
and at last, with a considerable portion of the camp, 
returning down the river to the Great Cave, and to the 
burial ground which lay near it. Before parting with 
the Sioux he held a council with them, at which long 
speeches were made by both Englishman and Indians, 
and finally Carver left them to return to La Prairie du 
Chien, where there were some traders from whom he 
purchased goods for his farther journey. 

Among the places now well known which Carver 
visited, was what he calls the Red Mountain, from 
which the Indians get a sort of red stone out of which 
they hew the bowls of their pipes. This is, no doubt, 
the pipestone quarry, described by Catlin, and then 



66 Trails of the Pathfinders 

owned by the Sioux Indians, which has been purchased 
by the government as a park. Carver says, also, that 
in some of these parts is found a black, hard clay, or 
rather stone, of which, the Indians make their family 
utensils. 

Carver was much impressed by the beauties of the 
country through which the river St. Pierre [Minnesota 
River] flowed; of which he says: "Wild rice grows 
here in great abundance; and every part is filled with 
trees, bending under their loads of fruit, such as plums, 
grapes, and apples; the meadows are covered with 
hops, and many sorts of vegetables; whilst the ground 
is stored with useful roots, with angelica, spikenard, 
and ground-nuts as large as hen's eggs. At a little dis- 
tance from the sides of the river are eminences, from 
which you have views that cannot be exceeded even by 
the most beautiful of those I have already described; 
amidst these are delightful groves, and such amazing 
quantities of maples, that they would produce sugar 
sufficient for any number of inhabitants." 

Carver at length reached La Prairie du Chien, and 
after attending to various matters there, returned up 
the Mississippi to the place where the Chippewa River 
enters it, a little below Lake Pepin. Here he engaged 
an Indian pilot, and instructed him to steer toward the 
Ottowaw Lakes, which lie near the head of that river. 
About thirty miles from the mouth, Carver took the 
easternmost of the two branches and passed along 
through the wide, gently flowing stream. "The coun- 
try adjoining to the river," he says, "for about sixty 



Jonathan Carver 67 

miles, is very level, and on its banks lie fine meadows, 
w^here larger droves of buffaloes and elks v^ere feeding, 
than I had observed in any other part of my travels. 
The track between the two branches of this river is 
termed the Road of War between the Chipeway and 
Naudowessie Indians." Near the head of the stream 
he came upon a Chippewa town, the houses built after 
the Indian manner, and having neat plantations behind 
them. He then carried over to the head of the river 
St. Croix, descended one of the branches, and then as- 
cended another; and on both streams he discovered 
several mines of virgin copper. Then carrying across 
a height of land and descending another stream, he 
found himself on Lake Superior, and coasted along its 
western shores until he reached the Grand Portage, 
between Lake Superior and Lac la Pluie, or Rainy 
Lake. 

Here were met a large party of Killistinoe and Assi- 
nipoil Indians, "with their respective kings and their 
famihes." They had come to this place to meet the 
traders from the east, who were accustomed to make 
this their road to the north-west. From these Indians 
Carver received considerable geographical information 
about the country to the westward, much of which, 
however, is too vague to be very valuable. Many of 
the great lakes to the westward were mentioned and 
described, and some of them are readily recognized. 
Such are Lake Winnepeek, Lac du Bois, and Lac la 
Pluye, or Rainy Lake. Of the country about Lake 
Bourbon and Lake Winnepeek it was said that there 



68 Trails of the Pathfinders 

were found some buffalo of small size, which were fat 
and good in the latter part of the summer. This differ- 
ence in size Carver attributes to their northerly situation; 
"just as the black cattle of the northern parts of Great 
Britain differ from EngHsh oxen." But it is quite prob- 
able that these "small buffalo" may have been musk- 
oxen, and their location wrong. 

"These Indians informed me that to the northwest 
of Lake Winnepeek Hes another whose circumference 
vastly exceeded any they had given me an account of. 
They describe it as much larger than Lake Superior. 
But as it appears to be so far to the northwest, I should 
imagine that it was not a lake, but rather the Archi- 
pelago or broken waters that form the communication 
between Hudson's Bay and the northern parts of the 
Pacific Ocean." 

As already stated, Carver believed that the head- 
waters of the Missouri were not far from the headwaters 
of his St. Pierre River. The Indians told him that they 
frequently crossed over from the head of that stream 
to the Missouri. The nearest water to the head of the 
Minnesota River is Big Sioux River in Dakota, which 
is, in fact, a tributary of the Missouri. 

The ethnological information there gathered was as 
little trustworthy as that concerning the geography of 
the more distant parts. For example, it is said that in 
the country belonging to the Pawnees, and the Pawnaw- 
nees, nations inhabiting some branches of the Messorie 
River, mandrakes are frequently found, a species of root 
resembhng human beings of both sexes; and that these 



Jonathan Carver 69 



are more perfect than such as are discovered about the 
Nile in Nether-Ethiopia. 

"A little to the northwest of the heads of the Messo- 
rie and the St. Pierre, the Indians further told me, that 
there was a nation rather smaller and whiter than the 
neighboring tribes, who cultivate the ground, and (as 
far as I could gather from their expressions), in some 
measure, the arts. To this account they added that 
some of the nations who inhabit those parts that lie to 
the west of the Shining Mountains, have gold so plenty 
among them that they make their most common utensils 
of it. These mountains (which I shall describe more 
particularly hereafter) divide the waters that fall into 
the South Sea from those that run into the Atlantic. 

"The people dwelHng near them are supposed to be 
some of the different tribes that were tributary to the 
Mexican kings, and who fled from their native coun- 
try to seek an asylum in these parts, about the time of 
the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, more than 
two centuries ago." After a brief discussion of the rea- 
sons which may have led these supposed immigrants, 
and the Winnebagoes to leave their southern home for 
the north. Carver speaks at some length of the Shining 
or Rocky Mountains, just mentioned. 

"That range of mountains, of which the Shining 
Mountains are a part, begin at Mexico, and continuing 
northward on the back or at the east of CaHfornia, sep- 
arate the waters of those numerous rivers that fall 
either into the Gulph of Mexico or the Gulph of Cali- 
fornia. From thence continuing their course still north- 



70 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ward, between the sources of the Mississippi and the 
rivers that run into the South Sea, they appear to end 
in about forty-seven or forty-eight degrees of north 
latitude; w^here a number of rivers arise, and empty 
themselves either into the South Sea, into Hudson's 
Bay, or into the w^aters that communicate between these 
two seas. 

"Among these mountains, those that lie to the west 
of the river St. Pierre are called the Shining Mountains, 
from an infinite number of crystal stones, of an amaz- 
ing size, with which they are covered, and which, when 
the sun shines full upon them, sparkle so as to be seen 
at a very great distance. 

"This extraordinary range of mountains is calculated 
to be more than three thousand miles in length, with- 
out any very considerable intervals, which I believe 
surpasses anything of the kind in the other quarters of 
the globe. Probably in future ages they may be found 
to contain more riches in their bowels than those of 
Indostan and Malabar, or that are produced on the 
Golden Coast of Guinea; nor will I except even the 
Peruvian mines. To the west of these mountains, 
when explored by future Columbuses or Raleighs, may 
be found other lakes, rivers and countries, full fraught 
with all the necessaries or luxuries of hfe; and where 
future generations may find an asylum, whether driven 
from their country by the ravages of lawless tyrants, 
or by religious persecutions, or reluctantly leaving it to 
remedy the inconveniences arising from a superabun- 
dant increase of inhabitants; whether, I say, impelled 



Jonathan Carver 71 

by these, or allured by hopes of commercial advantages, 
there is little doubt but their expectations will be fully 
gratified by these rich and unexhausted climes." 

The pages which Carver devotes to a description of 
the unknown country to the west, are inserted in his 
account while he was sojourning with these Crees and 
Assiniboines, at the Grand Portage. There were more 
than three hundred people in the camp, and as they 
waited for the traders who did not come, their stock of 
provisions began to run low; and the coming of the 
traders was awaited with an impatience that increased 
day by day. 

It was during this period of waiting that Carver had 
an opportunity to witness one of those prophecies by a 
priest, or medicine man, which even in modern times 
have puzzled many cool and clear heads; and though 
the story of what he saw is long, yet it is worth while 
to give his account of it in full. It appears that one 
day while all were expressing their hopes for the early 
arrival of the traders, and were sitting on the hill look- 
ing over the lake, in the hope that they might be seen, 
the chief priest of the Crees informed those who were 
with him that he would endeavor to obtain information 
from the Great Spirit as to when the traders would 
arrive. Carver gave little heed to the suggestion, sup- 
posing it to be merely a jugghng trick; but the chief 
of the tribe advised him that the priest had made this 
offer chiefly for the purpose of allaying his anxiety, and 
at the same time to convince Carver of his ability to 
talk with the Great Spirit. 



72 Trails of the Pathfinders 

"The following evening was fixed upon for this 
spiritual conference. When everything had been prop- 
erly prepared, the king came to me and led me to a 
capacious tent, the covering of which was drawn up, 
so as to render what was transacting within visible 
to those who stood without. We found the tent sur- 
rounded by a great number of the Indians, but we 
readily gained admission, and seated ourselves on skins 
laid on the ground for that purpose. 

"In the centre I observed that there was a place of 
an oblong shape, which was composed of stakes stuck 
in the ground, with intervals between, so as to form 
a kind of chest or coffin, large enough to contain the 
body of a man. These were of a middle size, and 
placed at such a distance from each other, that what- 
ever lay within them was readily to be discerned. The 
tent was perfectly illuminated by a great number of 
torches made of spHnters cut from the pine or birch 
tree, which the Indians held in their hands. 

"In a few minutes the priest entered; when an amaz- 
ing large elk's skin being spread on the ground, just 
at my feet, he laid himself down upon it, after having 
stript himself of every garment except that which he 
wore close about his middle. Being now prostrate 
upon his back, he first laid hold of one side of the skin, 
and folded it over him, and then the other; leaving 
only his head uncovered. This was no sooner done, 
than two of the young men who stood by took about 
forty yards of strong cord, made also of an elk's hide, 
and rolled it tight around his body, so that he was 



Jonathan Carver 73 

completely swathed within the skin. Being thus bound 
up like an Egyptian mummy, one took him by the 
heels and the other by the head, and lifted him over the 
pales into the inclosure. I could now also discern him 
as plain as I had hitherto done, and I took care not to 
turn my eyes a moment from the object before me, that 
I might the more readily detect the artifice, for such I 
doubted not but that it would turn out to be. 

"The priest had not lain in this situation more than 
a few seconds when he began to mutter. This he con- 
tinued to do for some time, and then by degrees grew 
louder and louder, till at length he spoke articulately; 
however, what he uttered was in such a mixed jargon 
of the Chippeway, Ottawaw, and Killistinoe languages, 
that I could understand but very little of it. Having 
continued in this tone for a considerable while he at 
last exerted his voice to its utmost pitch, sometimes rav- 
ing and sometimes praying, till he had worked himself 
into such an agitation that he foamed at his mouth. 

"After having remained near three-quarters of an 
hour in the place and continued his vociferation with 
unabated vigor, he seemed to be quite exhausted, and 
remained speechless. But in an instant he sprung to 
his feet, notwithstanding at the time he was put in it 
appeared impossible for him to move either his legs or 
arms, and shaking oflF his covering, as quick as if the 
bands with which it had been bound were burned 
asunder, he began to address those who stood around, 
in a firm and audible voice. 'My Brothers,' said he, 
'the Great Spirit has deigned to hold a talk with his 



74 Trails of the Pathfinders 

servant at my earnest request. He has not, Indeed, 
told me when the persons we expect will be here, but 
to-morrow, soon after the sun has reached his highest 
point in the heavens, a canoe will arrive, and the people 
in that will inform us when the traders will come/ 
Having said this, he stepped out of the inclosure, and 
after he had put on his robes, dismissed the assembly. 
I own I was greatly astonished at what I had seen, but 
as I observed that every eye In the company was fixed 
on me with a view to discover my sentiments, I carefully 
concealed every emotion. 

"The next day the sun shone bright, and long be- 
fore noon all the Indians were gathered together on the 
eminence that overlooked the lake. The old king came 
to me and asked me whether I had so much confidence 
in what the priest had foretold as to join his people on 
the hill and wait for the completion of it I I told him 
that I was at a loss what opinion to form of the pre- 
diction, but that I would readily attend him. On this 
we walked together to the place where the others were 
assembled. Every eye was again fixed by turns on me 
and on the lake; when just as the sun had reached his 
zenith, agreeable to what the priest had foretold, a 
canoe came round a point of land about a league dis- 
tant. The Indians no sooner beheld it than they sent 
up an universal shout, and by their looks seemed to 
triumph in the interest their priest thus evidently had 
with the Great Spirit. 

"In less than an hour the canoe reached the shore, 
when I attended the king and chiefs to receive those 



Jonathan Carver 75 

who were on board. As soon as the men were landed, 
we walked all together to the king's tent, where ac- 
cording to their invariable custom we began to smoke; 
and this we did, notwithstanding our impatience to 
know the tidings they brought, without asking any 
questions; for the Indians are the most deliberate peo- 
ple in the world. However, after some trivial conver- 
sation, the king inquired of them whether they had 
seen anything of the traders ? The men replied that 
they had parted from them a few days before, and that 
they proposed being here the second day from the pres- 
ent. They accordingly arrived at that time, greatly to 
our satisfaction, but more particularly to that of the 
Indians, who found by this event the importance both 
of their priest and of their nation greatly augmented in 
the sight of a stranger. 

"This story I acknowledge appears to carry with it 
marks of great credulity in the relator. But no one is 
less tinctured with that weakness than myself. The 
circumstances of it I own are of a very extraordinary 
nature; however, as I can vouch for their being free 
from either exaggeration or misrepresentation, being 
myself a cool and dispassionate observer of them all, I 
thought it necessary to give them to the public. And 
this I do, without wishing to mislead the judgment of 
my readers, or to make any superstitious impressions 
on their minds, but leaving them to draw from it what 
conclusions they please." 

The arrival of the traders, so anxiously looked for, 
did not greatly help Carver, who found that he could 



76 Trails of the Pathfinders 

not procure from them the goods that he desired, 
and shortly afterward he proceeded eastward, having 
coasted around the north and east shores of Lake Su- 
perior. He describes the lake, and the various peoples 
who inhabit its borders, most of whom are Chippewas. 
During his trip, he found native copper on a stream 
running into the lake on the south, and describes how 
large a trade might be made in this metal, which, as he 
says, "costs nothing on the spot, and requires but little 
expense to get it on board; could be conveyed in boats 
or canoes through the Falls of St. Marie to the Isle of 
St. Joseph, which lies at the bottom of the straits near 
the entrance into Lake Huron; from thence it might be 
put on board large vessels, and in them transported 
across that lake to the Falls of Niagara; there being 
carried by land across the Portage, it might be con- 
veyed without much more obstruction to Quebec. The 
cheapness and ease with which any quantity of it may 
be procured will make up for the length of way that 
it is necessary to transport it before it reaches the sea- 
coast, and enable the proprietors to send it to foreign 
markets on as good terms as it can be exported from 
other countries." Stockholders in the Calumet and 
Hecla and in other Lake Superior copper concerns 
are requested to take notice. 

The fishing of Lake Superior impressed Carver as 
much as it has other travellers. Of these fish he says: 
"The principal and best are the trout and sturgeon, 
which may be caught at almost any season in the great- 
est abundance. The trout in general weigh about 



Jonathan Carver 77 

twelve pounds; but some are caught that exceed fifty. 
Besides these, a species of white fish is taken in great 
quantities here, that resemble a shad in their shape, 
but they are rather thicker, and less bony; they weigh 
about four pounds each, and are of a delicious taste. 
The best way of catching these fish is with a net; but 
the trout may be taken at all times with the hook. 
There are likewise many sorts of smaller fish in great 
plenty here, and which may be taken with ease; among 
these is a sort resembling a herring, which are generally 
made use of as a bait for the trout." The foot of the 
Sault Ste. Marie, which Carver calls the Falls of St. 
Marie, is noted by him as "a most commodious station 
for catching the fish, which are to be found there in im- 
mense quantities. Persons standing on the rocks which 
lie adjacent to it may take with dipping nets, about the 
months of September and October, the white fish be- 
forementioned; at that season, together with several 
other species, they crowd up to this spot in such amaz- 
ing shoals that enough may be taken to supply, when 
properly cured, thousands of inhabitants throughout 
the year." 

Passing now through the Straits into Lake Huron, 
this body of water is described, and attention called to 
the rise and fall of the waters, which Carver says is not 
diurnal, but occurs in periods of seven years and a half. 
Still going eastward, the town of Detroit was reached, 
and something given of its history in recent years, and 
especially of the conspiracy of Pontiac, and the death 
of that chief. 



78 Trails of the Pathfinders 

In Lake Erie, Carver noticed the islands near the 
west end, so infested with rattlesnakes that it is very 
dangerous to land on them; and also the great num- 
ber of water-snakes, which lie in the sun on the leaves 
of the large pond-lilies floating on the water. 

"The most remarkable of the different species that 
infest this lake is the hissing-snake [the innocent Heter- 
odon platyrhinos], which is of the small, speckled 
kind, and about eighteen inches long. When anything 
approaches, it flattens itself in a moment, and its spots, 
which are of varied dyes, become visibly brighter through 
rage; at the same time it blows from its mouth with 
great force a subtile wind, that is reported to be of a 
nauseous smell; and if drawn in with the breath of 
the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring on a decline, 
that in a few months must prove mortal, there being 
no remedy yet discovered which can counteract its bane- 
ful influence." Still proceeding eastward, the author 
continues to describe the country, mentioning many 
well-known lakes, and the peoples about them. 

This concludes Carver's journey, but by no means 
his book, of which the remaining two-thirds are devoted 
to the manners and customs of the Indians, with a 
chapter giving vocabularies of several languages, and 
other chapters treating of the fauna and flora of the 
vast region passed over. Like most writers about the 
Indians, he discusses their origin, quoting a great num- 
ber of authors, from the discovery of America to the 
time of his writing; the last of these, Adair, who, as is 
well known, devoted a very considerable work to prov- 



Jonathan Carver 79 

ing to his own satisfaction that the Indians were the 
lost tribes of Israel. Carver announces that he is of the 
opinion that "the North American continent received its 
first inhabitants from the islands which lie between the 
extremities of Asia and America, viz., Japon, Yeso, or 
Jedso, Gama's Land, Behring's Isle, with many others"; 
to which he adds a cluster of islands that reach as far 
as Siberia, which may possibly be the Aleutian Islands. 
To support this conclusion, he advances many cogent 
arguments, and announces that "that great and learned 
historian Doctor Robinson," is of the same opinion with 
him. 

Concerning the persons and dress of the Indians, 
Carver has much to say. He notices many things still 
well known, and speaks of certain others that are so long 
obsolete as to be almost forgotten. Thus he declares 
that: "It is also a common custom among them to 
bore their noses, and wear in them pendants of different 
sorts. I observed that sea-shells were much worn by 
those of the interior parts, and reckoned very orna- 
mental; but how they procured them I could not learn: 
probably by their traffick with other nations nearer the 
sea." Another custom noted, which has long been 
obsolete, but is still remembered by the most ancient 
persons of some of the Western tribes, is the woman's 
fashion of dressing the hair. To the west of the Missis- 
sippi, he says, the Sioux and Assiniboine women "di- 
vide their hair in the middle of the head, and form 
it into two rolls, one against each ear. These rolls are 
about three inches long, and as large as their wrists. 



8o Trails of the Pathfinders 



They hang In a perpendicular attitude at the front 
of each ear, and descend as far as the lower part 
of it." 

The characteristics of the Indians, their method of 
reckoning time, their government, division into tribes, 
their chiefs, food, dances, and many other matters, are 
described at great length; as is also their hunting, their 
manner of making war, and, incidentally, the defeat of 
Braddock, and the massacre of the people under Col. 
Monroe, at Fort William Henry. Carver himself ap- 
pears to have been with the prisoners, of whom so 
many were massacred on that unhappy day, but he 
himself at length reached Fort Edward in safety. He 
tells something, also, of the way in which the Indians 
tortured their captives, and speaks of the Illinois Ind- 
ian brought into the town of Ottigaumies, who was 
bound to a tree while all the small boys in the village 
were permitted to amuse themselves by shooting ar- 
rows at the victim. As none of the boys were more 
than twelve years old, and they were placed at a con- 
siderable distance, their arrows did little more than 
pierce the skin; so that the prisoner stood for more 
than two days pierced with these arrows. During all 
this time he sung his warlike exploits, told how much 
injury he had inflicted on his enemies, and endeavored 
with his last gasp to incite his tormentors to greater 
efforts, in order that he might give still greater proofs 
of his fortitude. 

Following the chapter on war comes one on their 
methods of making peace; then one on games, mar- 



Jonathan Carver 8 1 

riage, religion, and character. The last hundred pages 
of the volume treats "Of the Beasts, Birds, Fishes, 
Reptiles, and Insects, which are found in the interior 
parts of North America." Of the larger mammals a 
catalogue is given from which two or three descriptions 
may be taken. 

"The Carrabou. This beast is not near so tall as 
the moose, however, it is something like it in shape, 
only rather more heavy, and inclining to the form of 
an ass. The horns of it are not flat as those of an elk 
are, but round like those of the deer; they also meet 
nearer together at the extremities, and bend more over 
the face than either those of the elk or moose. It par- 
takes of the swiftness of the deer, and is with difficulty 
overtaken by its pursuers. The flesh of it likewise is 
equally as good, the tongue particularly is in high 
esteem. The skin beins smooth and free from veins is 
as valuable as shamoy." 

"The Carcajou. This creature, which is of the cat 
kind, is a terrible enemy to the preceding four species 
of beasts. He either comes upon them from some con- 
cealment unperceived, or climbs up into a tree, and 
taking his station on some of the branches, waits till 
one of them, driven by an extreme of heat or cold, takes 
shelter under it; when he fastens upon his neck, and 
opening the jugular vein, soon brings his prey to the 
ground. This he is enabled to do by his long tail, with 
which he encircles the body of his adversary; and the 
only means they have to shun their fate is by flying 
immediately to the water, by this method, as the car- 



82 Trails of the Pathfinders 

cajou has a great dislike to that element, he is some- 
times got rid of before he can effect his purpose." 

There is a very long description of the beaver, and 
its extraordinary intelligence. 

The list of birds, too, is a long one; but that of the 
fishes is very short. To snakes, as might be imag- 
ined, much space is given; but to insects very httle. 
Carver describes the lightning-bug, but adds: "Not- 
withstanding this effulgent appearance, these insects are 
perfectly harmless; you may permit them to crawl upon 
your hand, when five or six, if they freely exhibit their 
glow together, will enable you to read almost the finest 
print." 

Trees, plants, and shrubs are all described, and 
among them the wild rice, of which Carver says: "In 
future periods it will be of great service to the infant 
colonies, as it will afford them a present support until 
in the course of cultivation other supplies may be pro- 
duced; whereas in those realms which are not furnished 
with this bounteous gift of nature, even if the climate 
is temperate and the soil good, the first settlers are often 
exposed to great hardships from the want of an imme- 
diate resource for necessary food." 

In his appendix. Carver sums up conclusions drawn 
from his extensive travels in, and wide knowledge of, 
the interior of the continent. He has faith in the dis- 
covery of a north-west passage, and believes that Hud- 
son's Bay would be a safe retreat for the adventurous 
navigators who might try, at first unsuccessfully, a 
north-west passage. He even names a certain Rich- 



Jonathan Carver S^ 

ard Whitworth, gentleman, of England, who had pro- 
posed pursuing nearly the same route as Carver, and 
having built a fort at Lake Pepin, to have proceeded up 
the river St. Pierre, crossed over the river Messorie, 
till, having discovered the source of the Oregon, or River 
of the West, he would have sailed down that river to 
the place where it is said to empty itself near the 
Straits of Annian. Carver was to have accompanied 
this Mr. Whitworth on his explorations, and many of 
the preparations had been made for the trip, "when 
the present troubles in America began, which put a 
stop to an enterprize that promised to be of incon- 
ceivable advantage to the British dominions." 
■ So the War of the Revolution put an end to Carver's 
Western explorations. 



CHAPTER V 
ALEXANDER MACKENZIE 



OF the early explorers of the north none is more 
celebrated than Alexander Mackenzie, the first 
man to penetrate from the interior to the Frozen 
Ocean, and the first in the farther north to cross the 
continent. Among the leaders of the north-west he is 
pre-eminent as a discoverer, and of the early northmen 
his name is the most often mentioned. His journey- 
ings — that to the Arctic made in the year 1789, and that 
across the continent in 1792 and 1793 — are told of in 
a splendid volume, published in London in the year 
1 80 1, entitled. Voyages from Montreal and the River St. 
Lawrence, Through the Continent of North America to 
the Frozen and Pacific Oceans , in the Tear 1789 and 
ijg;^. Its publication v^^as soon follow^ed by the con- 
ferring of knighthood on the author. 

The earliest explorations of the interior of this con- 
tinent were all of them by water. By water the first 
missionaries pushed their way up the St. Lawrence 
and through the Great Lakes, and then crossing over 
by short portages to the Mississippi, journeyed down 
that great highway of more modern times until they 

84 




ALEXANDER :MACKEXZIE. 

From Matkenzif's Voyages from Montreal Through the Coiitineut oj Xorlk 

America, etc. 



Alexander Mackenzie 85 

came to the Gulf of Mexico. Later, missionaries and 
explorers and traders, still from Montreal, followed the 
water trail up the Great Lakes to the Grand Portage, 
and thence pressed westward until they reached Lake 
Winnipeg, the Saskatchewan, and all that broad country 
which Hes east of the northern Rocky Mountains. The 
frail birch canoe carried their scanty provisions and 
their goods for trade, and returned laden to the gun- 
wale with rich packages of furs. Later still, when the 
people of the United States began to push westward, 
it was down the Alleghany and the Ohio — still largely 
by water — that their journeyings were conducted. 

Alexander Mackenzie was a fur trader, and he made 
his way westward, by the usual route, to the Grand 
Portage, Lake Winnipeg, then up the Saskatchewan 
and across to Fort Chipewyan, on the Lake of the Hills 
— now known as Athabaska Lake. Though the jour- 
ney was long, it was full of interest; the country had 
been seen by few white people, it abounded in life of 
many descriptions, all wild, and for the most part un- 
disturbed. He reached Fort Chipewyan with ninety 
or a hundred men, and without any provision for their 
sustenance; but the lake was full of fish, its shores 
abounded with game. The autumn fishing was suc- 
cessful, and the cold during the winter intense, so that 
fish were caught in great numbers and frozen, remain- 
ing good until spring. During the spring and fall vast 
flocks of wild fowl resorted to the lakes, and immense 
numbers were killed, so that for short terms the geese 
supported the life of the traders. 



86 Trails of the Pathfinders 

In 1783 and 1784 the Northwest Fur Company had 
been established, in opposition to the Hudson's Bay 
Company, and included among its partners many of 
the most celebrated traders of the north. Mackenzie 
had for five years been employed in the counting house 
of Messrs. Gregory and McLeod, and was admitted a 
partner in the Northwest Fur Company, and went to 
the Indian country in 1785. How enormous the trade 
that this company carried on is shown by a list of the 
returns for a single year, which gives 106,000 beaver 
skins, 2,100 bear, 4,600 otter, 17,000 musquash, 32,000 
marten, 6,000 lynx, 600 wolverine, 1,650 fisher, besides 
a less number of fox, kitfox, wolf, elk, raccoon and deer 
skins, and buffalo robes. Mackenzie was astronomer 
as well as trader. He was also an observer who con- 
sidered the economic possibilities of the country, its 
fauna and its flora, and especially the game, as well 
as the human inhabitants. 

Mackenzie started from Fort Chipewyan, on the 
south side of the Lake of the Hills, June 3, 1789, in a 
birch-bark canoe. His crew consisted of four Cana- 
dians, a German, and two Indian women. An Indian 
interpreter, known as English Chief, and his two wives 
journeyed in a small canoe, while two young Indians 
followed in a third. English Chief had been one of 
the followers of a chief who was with Mr. Hearne on 
his explorations to the Coppermine River. A fourth 
canoe, in charge of one of the clerks of the company, 
Mr. Le Roux, accompanied them, carrying a load of 
trade goods and presents, together with a part of the 



Alexander Mackenzie 87 

provisions and ammunition of the expedition. Their 
route was without much adventure until they reached 
Slave Lake, still covered with ice, somewhat melted 
near the shore. The gnats and mosquitoes which had 
troubled them during the first few days that they had 
been on their way, here left them. Mackenzie says: 
"The Indians informed me that at a very small dis- 
tance from either bank of the river are very extensive 
plains frequented by large herds of buffaloes: while the 
moose and reindeer keep in the woods that border on 
it. The beavers, which are in great numbers, build their 
habitations in small lakes and rivers, as in the larger 
streams the ice carries everything along with it during 
the spring. The mud banks in the river are covered 
with wild fowl, and we this morning killed two swans, 
ten geese, and one beaver, without suffering the delay 
of an hour; so that we might have soon filled the canoe 
with them, if that had been our object." That same 
day they reached the house erected on Slave Lake by 
Messrs. Grant and Le Roux in 1786, and here they 
stopped and pitched their tents, as it seemed likely that 
the ice would detain them for some time. The nets 
were set and many fish were caught. Berries were al- 
ready ripe, and the women were occupied in gathering 
them, while wild fowl were breeding, and they collected 
some dozens of their eggs. On Monday, June 15, the 
ice broke up near them, and cleared a passage to the 
islands opposite ; and at sunset they embarked and 
crossed to them, where they stopped to gum their canoes, 
and the next day set out again, following the shores of 



88 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the lake. Ice interrupted their passage from time to 
time. They supphed themselves with food by means 
of their nets. 

On the 1 8th, two of the hunters killed a reindeer and 
its fawn. The ice continued to hinder them, but they 
worked along slowly. On one of the islands that they 
passed reindeer were seen, and seven killed. The isl- 
and was named Isle de Carre Boeuf. Here occurs a 
somewhat unusual usage of the term pemmican, de- 
scribed to be "fish dried in the sun, and afterward 
pounded for the convenience of carriage." The more 
common meaning of the term is, flesh dried and pounded 
and mixed with grease — as buffalo pemmican, elk pem- 
mican, caribou pemmican. On Tuesday, the 23d, the 
explorer met with a little camp — three lodges — of Red- 
Knife Indians, so called from their copper knives. 
They informed the explorer that others of their people 
were near at hand. These Indians — now known as 
Yellow- Knives — are of Athabaskan stock, thus allied to 
the Hare, Dog-Rib, and Chipewyan peoples, also to the 
Navajos and Apaches of the south. They possessed some 
furs, and Mr. Le Roux secured from them eight packs 
of good beaver and marten skins. They seemed to know 
little or nothing about the country to the north, and Mac- 
kenzie's inquiries brought forth no useful information. 

The ice in the lake was still troublesome, though 
breaking up fast. On Monday, June 29, they entered 
the river by which Slave Lake discharges to the north, 
and made good progress down it. On both sides of 
the river the Indians reported that there were extensive 



Alexander Mackenzie 89 

plains, which abounded in buffalo and moose-deer. 
By this time the wild fowl had begun to molt, and the 
Indians no longer troubled to shoot them, but pursued 
them in their canoes, killing them with sticks or capt- 
uring them alive. On the 1st of July, keeping on 
down the river, they made a cache of provisions on an 
island. By this time they had come in sight of high 
mountains to the west, barren and rocky at the top, but 
well v^ooded on the slopes. 

On July 3 the current was stronger, and their prog- 
ress still more rapid. They saw frequent signs of camps, 
but none of very recent occupation; but on the 5th, 
smoke was seen on the north shore of the river, and 
as the canoes drew nearer, natives were discovered run- 
ning about in apparent alarm. Some took refuge in 
the woods, others hurried to their canoes. The hunt- 
ers landed, and calling out to the Chipewyans in their 
own tongue, assured them that the party was a friendly 
one, and after some difficulty the Indians became con- 
vinced that there was no danger. These were five 
families of two different tribes, the Slave and the Dog- 
Rib. Mackenzie offered them the pipe, though it was 
quite apparent that they were unacquainted with to- 
bacco, and also gave them a drink of grog, which also 
seemed new to them. However, they appreciated the 
beauties of knives, beads, awls, rings, hatchets, etc., 
and soon became so trustful that "They became more 
familiar even than we expected, for we could not keep 
them out of our tents; though I did not observe that 
they attempted to purloin anything. 



90 Trails of the Pathfinders 

"The information that they gave respecting the river 
had so much of the fabulous that I shall not detail it; 
it will be sufficient just to mention their attempts to 
persuade us that it would require several winters to 
get to the sea, and that old age would come upon us be- 
fore the period of our return; we were also to encounter 
monsters of such horrid shapes and destructive power 
as could only exist in their wild imagination. They 
added, besides, that there were two impassable falls 
in the river, the first of which was about thirty days' 
march from us." 

While these stories did not affect Mackenzie, they 
did influence his Indians, who were already tired of the 
voyage, and anxious to turn back, and it required some 
effort to convince them that it was better to go on. 
One of the natives was persuaded to accompany them 
as a guide, and though he afterward wished to with- 
draw, he was not allowed to, and with some ceremony 
he finally took his unwilling departure with the white 
men. These people used bone knives, were tattooed on 
the face, wore a goose-quill, or a small piece of wood, 
through the nose, and used vessels woven of wattap — 
the roots of the spruce or tamarack — in which they 
boiled their food by hot stones. Arrows were pointed 
with horn, flint, iron, or copper, and their axes were 
made of stone. From the neighboring Red-Knives and 
Chipewyans, by barter for skins, they obtained small 
pieces of iron, from which also they made knives. 
Their awls were of iron or horn. 

The guide whom they took from this country was 



Alexander Mackenzie 91 

anxious to return to his people, and had to be watched 
constantly to prevent his escape. As the explorers 
passed on northward they were constantly in sight of 
the ridge of snowy mountains to the west. "Our con- 
ductor informed us that great numbers of bears and 
small white buffaloes frequent those mountains, which 
are also inhabited by Indians." These white buffalo 
have been thought to be white goats; probably they 
were the white sheep (Ovis dalli) which inhabit the 
mountains to the west of the Mackenzie River. 

The next day more natives were met with, who, as 
usual, fled on the approach of the white men. One old 
man, however, did not run, but approached the trav- 
ellers, "and represented himself as too far advanced in 
life, and too indifferent about the short time he had to 
remain in the world, to be very anxious about escap- 
ing from any danger that threatened him; at the same 
time, he pulled his gray hairs from his head by hand- 
fuls to distribute among us, and implored our favor 
for himself and for his relations. Our guide, however, 
at length removed his fears, and persuaded him to recall 
the fugitives, who consisted of eighteen people." These 
joyfully received the presents of beads, knives, and 
awls, which were offered them, and overwhelmed the 
explorers with hospitable attentions, giving them food, 
which was gladly accepted. They told of dangers to 
be met with farther down the river, and some of the 
natives accompanied Mackenzie's people to point out 
the safest channel of the rapids, which they declared 
to be just beyond; but as a matter of fact there were 



92 Trails of the Pathfinders 

no rapids. The river was about three hundred yards 
broad, and Mackenzie's soundings gave fifty fathoms 
of w^ater. 

Along the river there v^^ere almost continuous encamp- 
ments of Indians, all of v^hom w^ere spoken to, and 
all of w^hom traded food, such as hares, ptarmigan 
and fish, to the travellers. The last parties met with 
were Hare Indians, who told wonderful stories of danger 
and of fearful things to be met on the river; and these 
terrors were not distant, for according to the Indians, 
behind an island opposite their camp dwelt a spirit 
in the river which swallowed every person that ap- 
proached it. Unfortunately, Mackenzie had no time 
to cross to the island, to see whether it would swallow 
him. 

The people met a little farther along were more at- 
tractive than those seen earlier, many of whom had 
been sick, while these were "healthy, full of flesh, and 
clean in their persons." Their ornaments and uten- 
sils did not diff^er greatly from those farther up the 
river. They had a little iron, which they obtained 
from the Eskimos; their arrows were made of very 
light wood, and winged with two feathers, while their 
bows were of Eskimo type, made of two pieces spliced 
with sinew. Their shirts were not cut square at the 
bottom, but tapered to a point from the belt down- 
ward as low as the knee, before and behind, and these 
points were fringed. Over the breast, back, and shoul- 
ders their shirts were also fringed, the fringe being or- 
namented with the stone of a berry, which was drilled 



Alexander Mackenzie 93 

and run on each string of the fringe. The sleeves of 
the shirts were short and wide, and long mittens cov- 
ered their hands and arms. Their leggings were like 
trousers, and the shoes sewed to the leggings. 

These people told them that it would take ten more 
nights to reach the sea, but after three nights they 
would meet the Eskimo. The reports of some guns 
discharged as the canoes pushed off greatly alarmed 
the Indians, and the guide that they had hired at this 
place seemed inclined to leave them, until advised that 
the noise was a signal of friendship. The guide and 
two of his companions who accompanied them on their 
journey were merry fellows, singing not only their na- 
tive songs, but others in imitation of the Eskimos. 
Not satisfied with singing, their guide proceeded to 
dance, and transferring himself to the white men's 
canoe, he danced in it, to their no small alarm lest it 
should be upset. 

Mackenzie now began to be a little uneasy, for his 
provisions were growing scant, his hunters discouraged, 
and his men generally seemed anxious to return. 
Some of them declared that they must turn back, and 
the explorer was obliged to satisfy them by the assur- 
ance that he would go forward only seven days more, 
and if he did not then reach the sea, would return. 
They had now reached latitude 68°, and the sun was 
continually above the horizon. On the nth they met 
an abandoned camp of Indians, where were seen parts 
of the fragments of three canoes, and places where oil 
had been spilt. Later, an Eskimo hut was found, and 



94 Trails of the Pathfinders 

about It a great deal of property. Now, they began to 
see fresh tracks of the Eskimos on the beach. Accord- 
ing to their guide, they were approaching a large lake, 
where the Eskimos Hved, and in which they killed large 
fish found there, which Mackenzie presumed must be 
whales. White bears, and other large animals not iden- 
tified from the description, were told of, as well as the 
Eskimo canoes, which could conveniently carry four 
or five families. 

On the 1 2th, in the morning, they landed where there 
were four huts. "The adjacent land is high and 
covered with short grass and flowers, though the earth 
was not thawed above four inches from the surface, 
beneath which was a solid body of ice. This beauti- 
ful appearance, however, was strongly contrasted with 
the ice and snow that was seen in the valleys. The 
soil, where there is any, is a yellow clay mixed with 
stones. These huts appear to have been abandoned 
during the last winter, and we had reason to think that 
some of the natives had been lately there, as the beach 
was covered with the tracks of their feet. Many of 
the runners and bars of their sledges were laid together 
near the houses in a manner that seemed to denote the 
return of the proprietors. There were also pieces of 
netting made of sinews, and some of bark of the willow. 
A thread of the former was platted, and no ordinary 
portion of time must have been employed in manu- 
facturing so great a length of cord. A square stone 
kettle with a flat bottom also occupied our attention, 
which was capable of containing two gallons; and we 



Alexander Mackenzie 95 

were puzzled as to the means these people must have 
employed to have chiselled it out of a solid rock into its 
present form," 

When they had satisfied their curiosity they were 
about to re-embark, but were puzzled to know where 
they should go or what channel they should take. 
The lake was quite open to them to the westward, and 
the water very shallow, so much so that it was impossi- 
ble to go very close to the shore. They therefore went 
to an island, where they camped, and, having set the 
net, Mackenzie and his interpreter climbed to the 
highest part of the island, from which they discovered 
solid ice, extending from the south-west by compass to 
the north and to the eastward. To the east were many 
islands. 

As they passed along, on their walk of exploration, 
they came upon a number of white partridges, now be- 
coming brown — the ptarmigan — and beautiful plover, 
which were breeding. There were also white owls, 
and presently they came upon an Eskimo grave. 

Even the Indians and the Canadians, seeing that the 
time for turning back had almost come, began to re- 
gret that they must return without coming to the sea, 
not knowing that they were already upon it. For the 
next two or three nights they were several times obliged 
to move the baggage to keep the water from flowing 
about it, and at last Mackenzie concluded that this 
was the tide that was rising and falling. One morning 
many large animals were seen in the water, and Mac- 
kenzie recognized them as whales, and ordered the 



96 Trails of the Pathfinders 

canoe to start in pursuit. Fortunately, just at this time 
a fog arose and the whales were not overtaken. These 
were white whales, and, the Indian guide stated, were 
one of the principal sources of food for the Eskimo. 

All Mackenzie's efforts to meet these northern people 
failed, and on Thursday, the i6th of July, the canoes 
entered the river and began the return journey. They 
were still subsisting largely on the wild fowl that the 
Indians killed and the fish that they took in their nets, 
and these were barely enough to support them. In- 
deed, on some days the wild fowl were so shy that they 
could not be approached, and this obliged them to 
draw more or less on their store of provisions. How- 
ever, on the 1 8th, and before they had gotten away 
from the country of the Eskimos, the hunters killed 
two reindeer, a very fortunate addition to their supply 
of food. But this killing of the reindeer was not with- 
out its unfortunate side, for it so alarmed their guide 
that he deserted that night. However, geese were 
plenty, and on the following day the hunters killed 
twenty-two, and the next day fifteen, and four swans. 

They were now obliged to resort to the laborious and 
slow towing-line to ascend the river. They met a 
party of Indians, among whom was the brother of the 
guide who had recently deserted, and Mackenzie sat up 
all night to watch them. They were greatly interested 
when they saw him writing, wondering what he was 
doing. As the night drew on, some women came from 
the forest to the camp, and after remaining for a short 
time, went away. "Those who remained immediately 



Alexander Mackenzie 97 

kindled a small fire and layed themselves down to sleep 
around it, like so many whelps, having neither skins 
nor garments of any kind to cover them, notwithstand- 
ing the cold that prevailed. My people having placed 
their kettle of meat on the fire, I was obliged to guard 
it from the natives, who made several attempts to 
possess themselves of its contents; and this was the 
only instance I had hitherto discovered of their being 
influenced by a pilfering disposition. It might perhaps 
be a general opinion that provisions were a common 
property." 

From here they continued to tow the canoe up the 
river. Some Indian huts seen were built of drift-wood. 
On the slope of the beach, and on the inside, earth was 
dug away to form a level floor. Within these huts 
were drying scaffolds, covered with split fish, and fires 
made in different parts of the hut warmed and dried 
the air, and hastened the operation of drying. The 
Indians, probably the Loucheux, an Athabascan tribe, 
told him of the Eskimos who dressed like themselves, 
wore their hair short, and had two holes perforated, one 
on each side of the mouth, in Hne with the under lip, 
on which they placed long beads — the labrets, so well 
known as ornaments of the primitive Eskimos. They 
reported the animals of their country to be reindeer, 
bears, wolverines, martens, foxes, hares, and white 
buffaloes — white sheep {Ovis dalli) — and that the latter 
were only to be found in the mountains to the westward. 

On the journey up the river the towing-line was much 
in use, but often, when the wind was north, it was 



98 Trails of the Pathfinders 

possible to use the sail. For six days on this southward 
journey the party had not touched any of their pro- 
vision stores, but in this time, Mackenzie says, they 
had consumed two reindeer, four swans, forty-five 
geese, and a considerable quantity of fish. "I have 
always observed that the northmen possessed very 
hearty appetites, but they were much exceeded by 
those with me since we entered this river, I should 
really have thought it absolute gluttony in my people, 
if my own appetite had not increased in a similar pro- 
portion.'* 

He now began to hear, from the people whom he 
met, of a great river to the west of the one he was 
travelling on, and beyond the mountains, perhaps the 
Yukon or the Fraser. But the country through which 
this river ran was inhabited by strange creatures. 
"The Indians represented them as being of gigantic 
stature and adorned with wings, which, however, they 
never employed in flying; that they fed on large birds, 
which they killed with the greatest ease, though com- 
mon men would be certain victims of their voracity 
if they ventured to approach them. They also de- 
scribed the people that inhabited the mouth of the river 
as possessing the extraordinary power of killing with 
their eyes, and devouring a large beaver at a single 
meal. They added that canoes of very large dimensions 
visited that place. These tales, however, they told not of 
their own knowledge, but from reports of other tribes.'* 

It was at this camp that Mackenzie was obliged to 
shoot an Indian dog, which it was impossible to keep 



Alexander Mackenzie 99 



from interfering with his baggage, which, of course, con- 
tained the provisions. "It was in vain that I had re- 
monstrated on this subject, so that I was obliged to 
commit the act which is just mentioned. When these 
people heard the report of the pistol, and saw the dog 
dead, they were seized with a very great alarm, and 
the women took the children on their backs and ran 
into the woods. I ordered the cause of this act of 
severity to be explained, with the assurance that no 
injuries would be offered to themselves. The woman, 
however, to whom the dog belonged was very much 
affected, and declared that the loss of five children dur- 
ing the preceding winter had not affected her so much 
as the death of this animal; but her grief was not of 
very long duration, and a few beads, etc., soon assuaged 
her sorrow." 

On the way up the river, August 2, small springs of 
mineral water were observed, as well as lumps of iron 
ore, and finally a "coal mine," or bed of lignite, on 
fire. The beach was covered with coal, and the Eng- 
lish Chief gathered some of it to be used as a black 
dye, to color porcupine quills. A little farther on the 
Indian hunters killed a beaver, whose fur was now 
beginning to grow long. Tracks of moose and reindeer 
were seen, but all of them old. Since the weather was 
growing cooler the reindeer would now leave the plains 
to come into the woods, for the mosquitoes were be- 
ginning to disappear. Though the river had fallen 
much the current was still very strong, and the work 
difficult. The weather was cold, and now their violent 



100 Trails of the Pathfinders 

exercise scarcely kept them warm. The women con- 
stantly remained in the canoes, making moose-skin moc- 
casins for the men, who as constantly wore them out, 
a pair lasting not more than one day. 

On the 7th they saw two reindeer on the beach be- 
fore them, but the Indians, quarrelling to see which 
should be the first to get near them, alarmed the deer, 
which ran away. However, a female reindeer was 
killed, whose legs showed wounds, and it was supposed 
that she had been pursued by wolves, which devoured 
her young one. One of the young Indians took her 
udder, which was full of milk, and, squeezing it over 
some boiled corn, ate the mixture with great relish. 

On the loth, accompanied by one of his young Ind- 
ians, Mackenzie strove without success to reach the 
mountains which were seen on the south-west of the 
river. 

For the last few days the hunters had been unsuccess- 
ful, killing only a beaver, a few hares, and a few water- 
fowl, but on the 13th they reached the island where they 
had hidden their pemmican on the way down, and 
raising the cache, found themselves once more in plenty. 
A little later they saw another camp of Indians, who, 
very much frightened, drew their canoes up on the 
beach and fled to the woods, leaving much of their 
property behind them. This was pounced upon by Mac- 
kenzie's Indians, and he took his interpreter severely 
to task for their conduct. This brought on a more or 
less violent dispute, in the course of which the English 
Chief declared that he would accompany Mackenzie 



Alexander Mackenzie loi 

no farther, but would leave him and remain here. 
The Indian and all his relations wept bitterly, but after 
a few hours Mackenzie persuaded him to continue the 
journey, and propitiated him by a gift of rum. 

On the 17th and i8th of August the hunters were 
more successful, and on the last day the English Chief 
killed a buffalo, while a few water-fowl were brought 
in daily. They now found signs of a Cree encamp- 
ment and presently reached the entrance of Slave Lake. 
Coasting around this, often in heavy weather, they came 
upon Mr. Le Roux, from the fort there, and found 
that he had been somewhat successful in trading for 
skins, having five packs, principally of marten. Large 
game seemed abundant here, and the tracks of buffalo, 
moose, and reindeer were seen. On August 30 they 
reached Mr. Le Roux's house. 

Here Mackenzie's Indians left him, on the ground 
that he travelled too fast for them and that they feared 
they should be drowned if they followed so reckless a 
sailor. Mr. Le Roux's establishment was left on the 
31st of August, and twelve days later, after many diffi- 
culties from storm and cold, they reached Fort Chipe- 
wyan, having concluded a voyage which had occupied 
one hundred and two days. 



CHAPTER VI 

ALEXANDER MACKENZIE 

II 

ON October lo, 1792, Alexander Mackenzie left 
Fort Chipewyan to proceed up Peace River, 
his purpose being to go up the stream so far as 
the season would permit, and, wintering wherever he 
must, to cross the mountains at its head and continue 
westward, if possible, to the Pacific Ocean. 

Peace River takes its name from the settlement of 
their differences at Peace Point by the Knisteneaux and 
Beaver Indians. "When this country was formerly 
invaded by the Knisteneaux they found the Beaver 
Indians inhabiting the land about the Portage La 
Loche; and the adjoining tribes were those whom they 
called Slaves. They drove both these tribes before 
them, when the latter proceeded down the river from 
the Lake of the Hills, in consequence of which that 
part of it obtained the name of the Slave River. The 
former proceeded up the river, and when the Kniste- 
neaux made peace with them, this place was settled to 
be the boundary." 

As they proceeded, the weather was so cold and raw 
as to make travel unpleasant, but on the afternoon of 



Alexander Mackenzie 103 

October 17 they reached the falls, where there were 
two considerable portages, and where they found re- 
cent fires, showing that the canoes that Mackenzie had 
despatched some days before were not far ahead. 

On the 19th they reached what is termed the Old 
Establishment, an early fort, and found that the people 
preceding them had slept there the previous night, and 
had carelessly set the large house on fire. But for 
Mackenzie's arrival all the buildings would have been 
destroyed. On either side of Peace River here were 
extensive plains, which offered pasturage to great herds 
of buffalo. 

The next morning they reached the fort, and were 
received with shouts of rejoicing and volleys from the 
guns, by the Indians, who now expected rum and a 
carouse. About three hundred Indians belonged here, 
who, though apparently Chipewyan by race, had 
adopted the manners and customs of their former ene- 
mies, the Crees. The contrast between the neat and 
decent appearance of the men and the very disagreeable 
looks of the women was striking. After staying here 
only long enough to give some advice and presents to 
the Indians and his instructions to Mr. Findlay, he 
kept on up the river. It was constantly growing colder 
and the ice gave some trouble, but on November i he 
reached the place where he expected to winter. 

Two men had been sent forward in the spring to cut 
and square timber for the erection of a house, and 
about seventy Indians had joined them. The men had 
worked well, and prepared timber enough for a con- 



104 Trails of the Pathfinders 

siderable fort, as well as a ditch in which to set up 
the palisades of a stockade. Experience at the Old 
Establishment had shown that many vegetables would 
grow well in this soil and climate, but this was no time 
to think about gardening. What was more important 
was the fact that the plains on either side of the river 
abounded in buffalo, elk, wolves, foxes, and bears, 
while a ridge of highlands or mountains to the westward 
was inhabited by great numbers of deer, being called 
Deer Mountain. 

As with all traders, Mackenzie's first business was to 
call the Indians together and give them some rum, 
tobacco, and advice. They listened to the advice, 
drank the rum, and smoked the tobacco, promising 
everything that he asked. 

On the 22d of November — although the side-head 
giving the date in the printed volume says December — 
the river froze up, so that the hunters had a bridge on 
which to cross. Game was plenty, yet but for this 
means of crossing the stream they might have suffered 
from lack of food. It was here the practice of medicine 
was forced on Mackenzie. By means of simple reme- 
dies and by close personal attention to each case he 
cured a number of severe ailments among the Indians. 

Of one of these he says: "On my arrival here last 
fall, I found that one of the young Indians had lost the 
use of his right hand by the bursting of a gun, and that 
his thumb had been maimed in such a manner as to 
hang only by a small strip of flesh. Indeed, when he 
was brought to me his wound was in such an offen- 



Alexander Mackenzie 105 

sive state and emitted such a putrid smell that it re- 
quired all the resolution I possessed to examine it. His 
friends had done everything in their power to relieve 
him, but as it consisted only in singing about him and 
blowing upon his hand, the wound, as may be well 
imagined, had got into the deplorable state in which I 
found it. I was rather alarmed at the difficulty of 
the case, but as the young man's life was in a state of 
hazard, I was determined to risk my surgical repu- 
tation, and accordingly took him under my care. I 
immediately formed a poultice of bark, stripped from 
the roots of the spruce fir, which I applied to the wound, 
having first washed it with the juice of the bark. This 
proved a very painful dressing. In a few days, how- 
ever, the wound was clean and the proud flesh around 
it destroyed. I wished very much in this state of the 
business to have separated the thumb from the hand, 
which I well knew must be effected before the cure 
could be performed, but he would not consent to that 
operation till, by the application of vitriol, the flesh by 
which the thumb was suspended was shrivelled almost 
to a thread. When I had succeeded in this object I 
perceived that the wound was closing rather faster 
than I had desired. The salve I applied on the oc- 
casion was made of the Canadian balsam, wax, and 
tallow dropped from a burning candle into water. In 
short, I was so successful that about Christmas my 
patient engaged in an hunting party, and brought me 
the tongue of an elk; nor was he finally ungrateful. 
When he left me I received the warmest acknowledg- 



io6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ments, both from himself and the relations with whom 
he departed, for my care of him. I certainly did not 
spare my time or attention on the occasion, as I regu- 
larly dressed the wound three times a day during the 
course of a month." 

Just before Christmas, Mackenzie moved from his 
tent into his house, and now began the erection of houses 
for the men. Long before this the thermometer had 
been down far below zero, yet the men had been lying 
out in the cold and snow without any shelter except 
an open shed. "It would be considered by the inhabi- 
tants of a milder climate as a great evil to be exposed to 
the weather at this rigorous season of the year, but these 
people are inured to it, and it is necessary to describe 
in some measure the hardships which they undergo 
without a murmur, in order to convey a general notion 
of them, 

"The men who were now with me left this place in 
the beginning of last May and went to the Rainy Lake 
in canoes, laden with packs of fur, which, from the 
immense length of the voyage and other occurring 
circumstances, is a most severe trial of patience and 
perseverance; there they do not remain a sufficient 
time for ordinary repose, when they take a load of 
goods in exchange, and proceed on their return, in a 
great measure, day and night. They had been arrived 
near two months, and all that time had been continually 
engaged in very toilsome labor, with nothing more than 
a common shed to protect them from the frost and snow. 
Such is the Hfe which these people lead, and is con- 



Alexander Mackenzie 107 



tinued with unremitting exertion till their strength is 
lost in premature old age." 

Mackenzie was now receiving plenty of beaver from 
the Indians. But, on the other hand, he was not 
without the usual annoyances to which the fur trader 
was exposed. The Indians showed a tendency to 
quarrel among themselves, especially over their gam- 
bling at the platter game, which is a sort of throwing of 
dice, the same, apparently, as the seed game, so com- 
mon among all the Indians of the plains. On the 
whole, however, the winter passed quietly, and geese 
were seen on the 13th of March. 

In closing his account of this winter, passed high up 
on Peace River, Mackenzie gives some account of the 
Beaver and Rock Mountain Indians living there, who, 
he says, did not exceed 150 men capable of bearing 
arms. As late as 1786, when the first traders from 
Canada arrived on the banks of the Peace River, the 
natives employed bows and snares, but since then they 
had become well armed, bows were little used, and snares 
were unknown. These Indians were excellent hunters 
and such hard workers in the field that they were ex- 
tremely lean, being always in the best of training. 
When a relation died the men blackened the face, cut 
off their hair, and gashed their arms with knives and 
arrows. The women often cut off a finger at the death 
of a favorite son, husband, or father. The Indians 
told of a time when no timber grew on the hills and 
plains along Peace River, but they were covered with 
moss, and the reindeer was the only animal. As the 



io8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

timber spread on them, elk and buffalo made their 
appearance, and the reindeer retired to the range of 
highlands called Deer Mountain. 

The month of April passed, and early in May Mac- 
kenzie loaded six canoes with the furs and provisions 
he had purchased, and despatched them to Fort Chipe- 
wyan. He, however, retained six of the men, who agreed 
to accompany him up Peace River on his western voyage 
of discovery, and left his winter interpreter and another 
person in charge of the fort, to supply the natives with 
their ammunition during the summer. On the 9th 
day of May he embarked in a canoe twenty-five feet 
long, loaded with about 3,000 pounds of provisions, 
goods for presents, arms, ammunition, and baggage, and 
ten persons, two of whom were hunters and interpreters. 

The first day's journey was through an interesting 
and beautiful country. "From the place which we 
quitted this morning the west side of the river displayed 
a succession of the most beautiful scenery I had ever 
beheld. The ground rises at intervals to a consider- 
able height and stretches inward to a considerable dis- 
tance; at every interval or pause in the rise there is a 
very gently ascending space or lawn, which is alternate 
with abrupt precipices to the summit of the whole, or, at 
least, as far as the eye could distinguish. This magnif- 
icent theatre of nature has all the decorations which the 
trees and animals of the country can afford it; groves 
of poplars in every shape vary the scene, and their in- 
tervals are enlivened with vast herds of elks and buffa- 
loes, the former choosing the steeps and uplands, and 



Alexander Mackenzie 109 

the latter preferring the plains. At this time the buffa- 
loes were attended with their young ones, who were 
frisking about them; and it appeared that the elks 
would soon exhibit the same enlivening circumstance. 
The whole country displayed an exuberant verdure; 
the trees that bear a blossom were advancing fast to 
that delightful appearance, and the velvet rind of their 
branches reflecting the oblique rays of a rising or setting 
sun, added a splendid gaiety to the scene, which no ex- 
pressions of mine are qualified to describe. The east 
side of the river consists of a range of high land covered 
with the white spruce and the soft birch, while the 
banks abound with the alder and the willow. The 
water continued to rise, and the current being propor- 
tionately strong, we made a greater use of setting poles 
than paddles." 

On the following days camps of Beaver Indians were 
seen, and Mackenzie was somewhat anxious lest they 
should encourage his hunters to desert, but this did not 
take place. Game continued abundant, and on the 13th 
they saw along the river tracks of large bears, some of 
which were nine inches wide. "We saw one of their 
dens, or winter quarters, called watee, in an island, 
which was ten feet deep, five feet high, and six feet wide, 
but we had not yet seen one of those animals. The 
Indians entertain great apprehension of this kind of 
bear which is called the grisly bear, and they never vent- 
ure to attack it but in a party of at least three or four." 

The land on both sides of the river was high and 
Irregular, and the banks and the rocky cliffs exhibited 



no Trails of the Pathfinders 

strata of red, green, and yellow colors. " Some parts, 
indeed, offer a beautiful scenery, in some degrees sim- 
ilar to that which we passed on the second day of our 
voyage, and equally enlivened with the elk and the 
buffalo, who were feeding in great numbers and un- 
molested by the hunter." The next day they passed 
a river, of the mouth of which Mackenzie says: "This 
spot would be an excellent situation for a fort or fac- 
tory, as there is plenty of wood and every reason to be- 
lieve that the country abounds in beaver. As for the 
other animals, they are in evident abundance, as in every 
direction the elk and the buffalo are seen in possession 
of the hills and the plains." Two elks were killed and 
a buffalo wounded that day. The land above their 
camp spread out in an extensive plain, gradually rising 
to a high ridge, chiefly grassy, and dotted with poplar 
and white birch trees. "The country is so crowded 
with animals as to have the appearance, in some places, 
of a stall-yard, from the state of the ground and the 
quantity of dung which is scattered over it. The soil 
is black and light. We this day saw two grisly and 
hideous bears." 

Although the ascent of the river had not been easy 
and they had frequently been obliged to unload and 
repair their canoe, it was not until Sunday, the 19th, 
that they met rapids and cascades, which presented 
greater difhculties. The canoe was heavily laden, the 
current enormously swift, and broken constantly by 
rocks and shoals; the only means of advance was by the 
tow-line, and the beach was often narrow or wanting. 



Alexander Mackenzie iii 

At the beginning of this very difficult stretch of water 
they found several islands of sohd rock with but little 
soil upon them, the rock worn away near the water's 
surface, but unworn higher up, so that the islands pre- 
sented, as it were, so many large tables, each of which 
was supported by a pedestal of a more circumscribed 
projection. On these islands geese were breeding. 

Carrying over short distances, often crossing the river 
in a very swift water, in constant danger from the great 
stones which frequently fell from the banks above, and 
much of the time in the water, they pursued their way 
for a short distance over this very difficult passage. The 
work was terribly hard, and as far as they could see up 
the river there was no improvement of the channel. 
Therefore, Mackenzie sent out a party of six men to 
explore, and on their return that same night they 
reported that it was necessary to make a long carry — 
nine miles they said — before smooth water would be 
met with. The canoe was therefore unloaded, the bag- 
gage carried up to the top of the bank above the river, 
and then the canoe was fairly hauled up to the same 
height. There they camped. In two days' march 
from this place, carrying the load and the canoe, they 
again met quiet water. 

The journal for Thursday, the 23d, enumerates the 
different sorts of trees which they saw, among which 
is named bois-picant, a tree which Mackenzie had not 
seen before, but which was apparently the west-coast 
shrub — the devil's club, which grows in a few places on 
the eastern slope of the Continental Divide. Although 



112 Trails of the Pathfinders 



he did not know it, Mackenzie was now quite close to 
the summit of the Rocky Mountains. 

The river here was wide, flowing in great volume, 
and very swiftly but smooth. There were many ani- 
mals in the country, for their tracks were seen every- 
where; and when Mackenzie left a bundle of presents 
on a pole, as a good-will offering to any natives who 
might pass by, one of his Indians added to the bundle 
a small, round piece of green wood, chewed at one end 
to form a brush, such as the Indians use to pick out the 
marrow from bones. This was the sign of a country 
with many animals in it. At a number of points along 
the river they had found places where wood had been 
chopped with axes, showing that the Indians who had 
passed along here had had intercourse with the whites. 

They were now flanked on both sides by high moun- 
tains covered with snow, and the cold was so severe 
that the men, although working hard, could not get 
along without their blanket coats. On the last day of 
May the men were so cold that they landed in order to 
kindle a fire. 

Their great labor, so long continued, had made Mac- 
kenzie's people more or less discontented. They were 
tired of the journey and anxious to get back. More- 
over, some wanted to go in one direction and some in 
another, and the forking of the river gave rise to open 
grumbling. However, Mackenzie handled them well, 
and they went on. On the ist of June he says: "In no 
part of the Northwest did I see so much beaver-work 
within an equal distance as in the course of this day. 



Alexander Mackenzie 113 

In some places they had cut down several acres of large 
poplars; and we saw also a great number of these 
active and sagacious animals. The time which these 
wonderful creatures allot for their labors, whether in 
erecting their curious habitations or providing food, is 
the whole of the interval between the setting and the 
rising sun." 

Ever since they had started the water in the river 
had been rising, since, of course, the advancing sum- 
mer was melting the snows in the neighboring moun- 
tains and swelling all the streams. On the 5th of June 
Mackenzie left the canoe and ascending a high hill or 
mountain crossed the country, and climbing a tree 
looked ahead. He saw little that was interesting, and 
on returning to the river could see nothing of the canoe. 
Made anxious by this, he went forward to see if it was 
ahead, sending others of his people back to look for it. 
He had no food, and was preparing to lie out during 
the night when a shot from Mr. Mackay and the Indian 
who had been sent back announced that the canoe had 
been discovered. His people excused their slow prog- 
ress by saying that their canoe had been damaged and 
that the travel had been harder than on any previous 
day, and Mackenzie pretended to believe them. The 
difficulties of the way were indeed great. The current 
was so strong that paddles could not be used, so deep 
that the poles were useless, while the bank of the river 
was so lined with willows and other trees that it was 
impossible to pass the line. The water was still rising 
and the current growing stronger. In spite of all 



1 14 Trails of the Pathfinders 

these impediments they pushed on, and were aheady 
beginning to look for the carrying-place, where they 
should cross the mountains to the stream which ran 
toward the Pacific. 

On Sunday, June 9, they noticed a small fire, and 
in a short time heard people in the timber, as if in a 
state of confusion. The Indians were frightened by the 
discovery of the explorer's party, and the explorer's 
party were not a little alarmed for fear they should be 
attacked. Very judiciously Mackenzie turned his canoe 
oflF to the opposite side of the river, and before they 
were half-way across two men appeared on the rising 
ground opposite them, brandishing their spears, dis- 
playing bows and arrows, and shouting. The inter- 
preter called to the Indians, telling them that the white 
people were friendly, yet the Indians preserved a threat- 
ening attitude, but after some talk consented to the 
landing of the party, though evidently very much 
frightened. They laid aside their weapons, and when 
Mackenzie stepped forward and shook hands with each 
of them, one of them, trembling with fear, drew his 
knife from his sleeve and offered it to Mackenzie as a 
mark of submission. 

These Indians had heard of white men before, but had 
never seen any, and were extremely curious as well as 
suspicious. They had but just reached here and had 
not yet made their camp, but on the discovery of Mac- 
kenzie's party had run away, leaving their property 
behind. 

The explorer made a great effort to conciliate and to 



Alexander Mackenzie 115 

attach them to him, and during the day the whole party 
of Indians came in, three men, three women, and seven 
or eight boys and girls. They were delighted with the 
beads which were given them, and seemed to enjoy the 
pemmican, their own provision consisting entirely of 
dried fish. They possessed some iron, which they said 
they obtained from people distant about eleven days' 
march, and that those people travelled for a month to 
reach the country of other tribes, who lived in houses 
and who extended their journeys to the Stinking Lake, 
or the ocean, where they traded with white people, who 
came in boats as large as islands. 

This account discouraged Mackenzie, who feared 
that the end of his journey was far distant. However, 
he continued his efforts to lull the suspicions of the Ind- 
ians, and treated them and their children with espe- 
cial kindness. The next day, sitting about the fire and 
listening to the talk of the Indians and interpreters, 
some portion of which he could understand, he recog- 
nized that one of the Indians spoke of a great river 
flowing near the source of the one which they were 
ascending, and of portages leading to a small river, 
which discharged into the great river; and a little 
patient work led the Indian to describe what seemed a 
practicable route toward the ocean. 

These Indians were of low stature, not exceeding five 
feet six or seven inches, lean, round-faced, with pierced 
noses and loose-hanging hair. They wore robes of the 
skins of the beaver, the ground-hog, or the reindeer, 
dressed with the hair on. Their leggings and mocca- 



ii6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

sins were of dressed moose, elk, or reindeer skin. They 
wore collars of grizzly-bear claws. Their cedar bows 
were six feet in length, and bore a short iron spike on 
one end, and so might be used as a spear or lance. 
They also carried lances headed with iron or bone. 
Their knives and axes were of iron. They made lines 
of rawhide, which were fine and strong, while their nets 
and fishing-lines were of willow bark and nettles. Their 
hooks were of bone set in wood, their kettles of bas- 
ketry, their spoons of horn or wood. Their canoes 
were made of spruce bark. Among certain presents 
given Mackenzie before he parted from these people 
were a net made of nettles and "a white horn in the 
shape of a spoon, which resembles the horn of the buf- 
falo of the Coppermine River" — by which undoubtedly 
is meant the musk-ox — "but their description of the 
animal to which it belonged does not answer to that." 
This horn was probably that of a mountain sheep. 

With a guide engaged from these people Mackenzie 
pushed on, promising the Indians that he would return 
in two months. The journey up the river was difficult, 
and the canoe by this time was in bad shape, so that a 
little jar caused it to leak, and repairs were frequent. 
At length they left the main stream, by the instruction 
of the guide, who declared that it began only a short dis- 
tance away, having its origin in a great valley which 
was full of snow, the melting of which supplied the 
river. The branch which they went up was only about 
ten yards broad and the one they now entered still nar- 
rower. The current was slow, and the channel so 



Alexander Mackenzie 117 

crooked that it was sometimes difficult to work the 
canoe. Soon they entered a small lake choked with 
drift-wood, and camped at an old Indian camp. Beaver 
were abundant here, as were swans and geese, but they 
killed none of them, for fear of alarming any natives 
by the discharge of fire-arms. This Mackenzie re- 
garded as the highest source of the Peace River. 

At the head of the lake they found a carry where there 
was a beaten path, about eight hundred yards long, to 
another small lake. From here two streams were seen 
tumbling down the rocks from the right and emptying 
into the lake that they had left, while two others, fall- 
ing from the opposite side, poured into the lake they 
were approaching. Now they had crossed the Conti- 
nental Divide, and instead of fighting with the current 
they would be going down the stream. We may imag- 
ine something of what Mackenzie's feelings must have 
been when he had surmounted the Divide and saw be- 
fore him a direct passage to the western ocean. But 
his troubles were by no means over. 

From the lake they passed into a small river, full of 
wood which had slipped down the mountain side, and 
which constantly obstructed the way. At first there 
was scarcely water enough to float the canoe, but the 
water grew deeper, and toward evening they entered 
another lake. Its outlet was very swift, and they had 
difficulty in keeping the canoe from being driven against 
the trees which had fallen across it. 

Men sent ahead down the river to report on its prac- 
ticability came back with terrible stories of rapids, fallen 



ii8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

trees, and large stones. The guide was now very un- 
comfortable, and wished to return, but this, of course, 
was not permitted. 

After carrying around the nearest obstacles they 
pushed off again, but the force of the current was so 
great as to drive the canoe sideways down the river 
again and break her. Mackenzie and the men jumped 
overboard, but before they could straighten her course 
or stop her they came to deeper water, and were obliged 
to re-embark, one man being left behind in the river. 
Almost immediately they drove against a rock, which 
shattered the stern of the canoe, and now the vessel 
darted to the other side of the river and the bow was 
smashed as well as the stern. The foreman tried to 
check her by holding to branches of a tree, but was 
pulled out of the canoe and ashore. A moment later 
she struck some rocks, which broke several large holes in 
the bottom, and in a moment every one was overboard 
trying to hold up the wreck. The strength of the cur- 
rent, however, forced them down the stream several 
hundred yards, but at last the vessel was guided into 
shallow water, and an eddy, and there stopped and 
dragged to shore. In a short time the man that they 
had left behind joined them, and they were now able to 
see what their condition was. They had lost some of 
their baggage and the whole of their stock of balls, but 
they still had some lead in the form of shot, from which 
bullets might be made. The men were frightened and 
anxious to get back, but a liberal dose of rum with a 
hearty meal and some encouraging words from their 




MACKENZIE AXD THE MEN JUMPED ONERBOARD. 



f 



Alexander Mackenzie 1 19 

leader quieted their fears, and made them willing to go 
on. Men were sent off to look for bark with which to 
repair the canoe and also to look for the main river, 
which their guide told them was not far distant. These 
men came back with unsatisfactory reports, declaring 
that the river they were following was quite imprac- 
ticable, while they had not been able to see the other 
larger river. 

The next day the canoe, having been repaired, was 
lightened and a part of the men took her slowly down 
the river, while the remainder carried the baggage 
along the shore. It was evident that this stream could 
not be followed much farther, and again exploring par- 
ties were sent out to see if the great river could not be 
found. They saw it, but declared that to reach it 
would be very difficult. That night Mackenzie, as 
usual, sat up to watch the guide, so that he should not 
desert, but Mr. Mackay, who relieved him, permitted 
the man to slip away, and he was not seen again. The 
river that they were descending became more and more 
swift and rough, and was, in fact, wholly impracticable. 
It was now determined to cut a way for the canoe 
across a neck of the land, and at eight o'clock that night 
they had the inexpressible satisfaction of finding them- 
selves "on the bank of a navigable river on the western 
side of the first great range of mountains." 

Rain the next morning postponed their start until 
eight o'clock, when they were on the water and driven 
by a strong current, which, though it carried them 
along swiftly, was perfectly safe, since the river seemed 



120 Trails of the Pathfinders 

deep. The stream was constantly joined by other 
rivers, and after a time it broadened out and the cur- 
rent became slow, so that they proceeded with more 
deliberation. An Indian cabin of recent construction 
was seen on the shore, and toward night a smoke on 
the bank indicated natives. 



CHAPTER VII 

ALEXANDER MACKENZIE 

ni 

THE next day the forests seemed to be on fire, 
since clouds of thick smoke rose from the wood 
with a strong odor of burning resin. On the 
afternoon of June 19 they saw smoke on the shore, but 
before they could reach land the natives had deserted 
their camp. Mackenzie sent his Indians after them, 
but they were threatening and discharged five arrows 
which, however, did no harm. They had left some 
property behind them which the men desired to take 
with them. A few things were taken and some useful 
implements were left in exchange. The next morning 
they were off early in a fog, and saw two "red deer" at 
the edge of the water. Another was seen and might 
have been killed, but for the dog which frightened it. 
These, Mackenzie says, are "not so large as the elk of 
the Peace River, but are the real red deer, which I 
never saw in the north, though I have been told that 
they are to be found in great numbers in the plains." 
Here the natives had stripped the bark from many of 
the spruce-trees, presumably to roof their cabins. A 



122 Trails of the Pathfinders 

house was seen thirty feet long and twenty wide, evi- 
dently intended for occupation by more than one family. 

The constant accidents to which their canoe had been 
subjected, and the carrying it from place to place, had 
so racked and broken it that it seemed almost hopeless 
to go farther in it. On Friday, the 22d, Mackenzie, 
recognizing the possibility that on his return he might 
have nothing to eat, made a cache of ninety pounds of 
pemmican in a deep hole, over which a fire was built. 

The next day, as they went on, they saw a small 
canoe drawn up to the edge of the woods, and soon 
after another came out from a small river. The man 
who was in it called to his friends, who at once appeared 
on the bank, armed with bows, arrows and spears. 
Although they were evidently much alarmed, they were 
very threatening in their gestures, and let fly a volley 
of arrows, which did no harm. Mackenzie landed on 
the other side of the river and stopped there, his inter- 
preters trying to pacify the Indians, but without success. 
Two men went off in a canoe down the river, appar- 
ently to procure assistance. Mackenzie, now having 
taken the precaution to send one of his Indians with a 
gun into the woods to keep within easy reach of them 
and to shoot any one who might attack him, walked 
along the beach and invited the Indians to come over 
and see him, while his interpreter declared to them 
that these people were his friends. At length two 
natives came over in a canoe, but stopped a hundred 
yards from the shore. Mackenzie signalled to them 
to come to land, showing them various articles which 



Alexander Mackenzie 123 

might be attractive, such as looking-glasses, beads, and 
other things. Very slowly they drew nearer to the 
shore, but at first would not venture to land. At last 
they came near enough to get some beads, and were 
persuaded to come ashore and to sit down. It was 
found that his interpreters could talk with these people, 
but though Mackenzie tried to persuade them to come 
to his canoe they did not wish to, and asked his per- 
mission to go back to their own side of the river. This 
he granted, and their return to their friends was evi- 
dently a matter of great rejoicing, while the articles 
that they took back with them were examined with the 
greatest curiosity. After a little time the white men 
were asked to come over to their side, which they did. 
The Indians were still timid, but the distribution of a 
few trinkets among them and a little sugar to the chil- 
dren seemed to strengthen their confidence. 

These people reported that the river ran to the south 
and that at its mouth white people were said to be 
building houses. There were rapids and falls and also 
very terrible people along the shores; people who lived 
in underground houses, and who might do them great 
harm. The night was spent here. 

Still travelling in his crazy canoe, Mackenzie kept 
on. Before long he came to a camp, the Indians of 
which, as usual, threatened, but the new friends made 
the day before soon set their fears at rest. Among the 
Indians here was a Rocky Mountain captive, taken by 
the Crees, who had carried her across the mountains, 
but she had escaped from them, and in the effort to 



124 Trails of the Pathfinders 

return to her own people had been captured by the 
tribe with whom she was now living. As he saw more 
and more of these natives he found not a few people 
from the Rocky Mountains with whom his own hunters 
could perfectly well converse, and under these circum- 
stances he did everything in his power to learn about 
the course of the river down which he was passing. 
There was evidently a considerable trade between the 
coast and the upper country, for iron, brass, copper, 
and beads were had from the west. 

Mackenzie now had remaining about thirty days* 
provisions, and not more than one hundred and fifty 
balls, with about thirty pounds of shot, which also 
might be used for balls, though with considerable waste. 
He was somewhat doubtful what to do, not only on 
account of the shortness of his supplies, but because of 
the great length of time that it would take him to jour- 
ney to the sea and return. If he went to the coast by 
this river it would seem impossible to reach Athabaska 
the same season. He now called a council and asked 
the advice of his people, saying that he wished to try to 
reach the ocean overland, because he thought it would 
be a saving of time, but declared that he would not 
attempt to do this, but would go by water unless they 
would agree that if the land journey proved impractica- 
ble they would return with him and continue the voy- 
age to the discharge of the waters, whatever the dis- 
tance might be. The men were most loyal, and all 
declared that they would follow him wherever he should 
go. He now set out to go back up the river to that point 



Alexander Mackenzie 125 

which should seem nearest to the seashore. Their 
guide preferred to travel on the shore, and although 
Mackenzie did not greatly like this, he thought it un- 
wise to oppose him. The next day, as some of the 
men were walking along the shore with the guide, they 
met some Indians who threatened them. The guide 
ran away, and Mackenzie's people kept with him. 
Finally the guide escaped from them and the people 
returned to their leader. Every one was now greatly 
alarmed, no one understanding what had happened, 
nor why the Indians were frightened, or enraged, which- 
ever it might be. Mackenzie's people were absolutely 
panic-stricken, and it was all he could do to hold them 
together. They selected a position calculated for de- 
fence and distributed arms and ammunition. 

Now followed a time of great anxiety. A young 
woman came to the camp, but they could secure no 
information from her. That night an old blind man 
was captured, returning to the house, having been 
driven from his hiding-place in the woods by hunger. 
He was fed and well treated and soon gained confi- 
dence. Occasionally an Indian was seen on the river 
in a canoe, but none of them would approach nor re- 
ply to any calls. At length, Mackenzie decided to 
leave this place and to continue up the river. The 
canoe was absolutely unfit for service, and one man 
was kept bailing all the time, to keep her afloat. On 
the 27th they stopped at an island where there seemed 
to be on the mainland trees which would furnish the 
proper material for a new canoe, and here they stopped 



126 Trails of the Pathfinders 

and built one. Here, too, their guide, who had de- 
serted them at the time of the panic, returned, claiming 
great credit for keeping the promise that he had earlier 
made to them. On the ist of July, however, he left 
them again, with his companions, and went up the 
river. The old man they still had with them, but he 
was anxious to get away. The canoe having been com- 
pleted and proving serviceable, they started up the 
river from this island, which they had named Canoe 
Island. It now seemed necessary to reduce the rations, 
again cutting the people down to two meals a day, 
which they did not at all like. Their food now con- 
sisted chiefly of the dried roes of fish, boiled with a lit- 
tle flour and grain, so as to make a substantial and not 
unpleasant dish. At Canoe Island flies had been very 
troublesome, so that Mackenzie says, "During our 
stay there we had been most cruelly tormented by 
flies, particularly by sand-flies, which I am disposed to 
consider as the most tormenting insect of its kind in 
nature." 

The way up the river was difiicult, often impracti- 
cable for paddles, and it was hard to use a tow-line 
on account of the steepness of the banks. On July 3 
they reached a point which answered to the description 
of the place where they should leave the stream to go 
overland to the west, and here a river came in, which 
Mackenzie calls West Road River. Some of the men 
thought it would be better to keep on up the stream a 
little farther, in the hope of finding an easier crossing, 
although at this point there was a beaten trail. They 



Alexander Mackenzie 127 

proceeded, therefore, and before long met their guide, 
who apparently had twice deserted. He was accom- 
panied by some other Indians, called Nascud Denee, 
who were friendly, and who declared that from their 
village, a little farther up the stream, the road to the 
sea was short. 

On reaching the place where they were to leave the 
river, Mackenzie cached some pemmican, wild rice, 
Indian corn, powder, and trade goods, and also took 
the canoe out of the water, placed it bottom up on a 
platform and protected it as well as possible. They 
now started on their foot journey, carrying about four 
hundred pounds of pemmican, the instruments, some 
goods, and their arms and ammunition. 

The journey westward was slow and difficult. They 
met many people, all of whom were friendly, and when 
their guide left them, as he did in a day or two, they 
succeeded in procuring other guides for short dis- 
tances from the various villages that they passed, and 
went forward with comparatively little difficulty, al- 
though the almost continuous rain was unpleasant 
enough. The people whom they met as they proceeded 
showed more and more evidences of intercourse with 
the whites, having a number of articles obtained by 
trade. Most of these people seemed to belong to dif- 
ferent small tribes of Athabaskan stock. They seemed 
less and less surprised at the appearance of the white 
men and, while still more or less astonished at their 
fire-arms, did not appear to be frightened by the explo- 
sions. Game was so scarce that practically none was 



128 Trails of the Pathfinders 

killed, their provisions being largely fish, obtained from 
the natives or caught by themselves. The killing one 
day of two eagles and three gray partridges is impor- 
tant enough to be mentioned. 

Mackenzie describes in considerable detail some of 
the houses of the Indians which he passed. He notes 
also, on July 14, that he had reached a place where it is 
the practice of the Indians to burn the bodies of their 
dead. On the 15th they fell in with a village of par- 
ticularly clean and attractive people, who were on their 
way to the sea with articles for trade with the white 
people. They said that in view of the fact that the 
women and children with them could not travel fast 
it would be three days before they could reach the end 
of their journey. This was welcome news to the ex- 
plorer. 

Before they had gone very far, however, these people 
changed their minds, and determined to go to the sea 
by a different and somewhat longer route, and so the 
white men separated from them, having procured guides 
from four new Indians, who had just joined the party 
and belonged to a tribe Mackenzie had not yet seen. 

The way was difficult, full of swamps and fallen tim- 
ber. Ground-hogs were seen, and a number of them 
captured, and before long a deer was killed. They 
were now high up in the mountains, and were march- 
ing through the snow. The country became very 
rough and they travelled along precipices, while snow- 
covered peaks frowned on them from above. On these 
mountains, according to their guides, were many ani- 



Alexander Mackenzie 129 

mals, which, "from their description, must be wild 
goats." The timber grew very large. 

On this day their guide hurried ahead, leaving the 
laden white people to follow, and when it grew dark 
the men were anxious to stop for the night, but Mac- 
kenzie pushed on, and at last reached a village where 
he saw fires with people cooking over them. He en- 
tered a house and shook hands, and the people directed 
him to go to a large house, where he was cordially 
received and fed with roasted salmon. A little later 
they were regaled on salmon roes, pounded fine, beaten 
up and flavored with something bitter, which we may 
conjecture to have been soap ollalie. The natives here 
were capturing salmon with their dip nets and by weirs. 
They were kindly and hospitable, and had very strong 
beliefs and feelings with regard to their fish. Mac- 
kenzie declared that they never taste flesh, and that 
one of their dogs having swallowed part of a bone left 
at the camp-fire was beaten by his master till he dis- 
gorged it. A bone having been thrown into the river 
by one of Mackenzie's people, a young man dived, 
brought it up and put it in the fire, and then proceeded 
to wash his polluted hands. The chief of the tribe de- 
clined to let the w^hite men have a canoe because they 
had with them some deer meat, which, if put in the 
canoe on their river, would cause the fish to leave the 
river, so that the people must starve. Mackenzie 
asked what he should do with the meat, and the Indian 
told him to give it to a native present who belonged to a 
tribe of flesh eaters. The canoe was then loaned them. 



130 Trails of the Pathfinders 

These people seemed to belong to a different family 
from the Chipewyans; at least Mackenzie says their 
language appeared to have no resemblance to that of 
the Atnahs. Seven natives with two canoes took the 
explorers and their baggage down the river. They 
travelled fast, and the skill of the Indians greatly im- 
pressed Mackenzie, who says: "I had imagined that 
the Canadians who accompanied me were the most 
expert canoe men in the world, but they are very in- 
ferior to these people, as they themselves acknowledge, 
in conducting those vessels." 

Just above a village the whole party landed, the Ind- 
ians preceding the white men to announce their ap- 
proach. When they reached the village they found it 
in a turmoil, the natives armed and rushing about ap- 
parently in a great state of alarm. There was nothing 
to do except to face the music, and Mackenzie walked 
boldly forward into the midst of the village, when most 
of the people laid aside their arms and came forward 
to meet them. He shook hands with those nearest to 
him, when suddenly an elderly man broke through 
the crowd and embraced him, as did also a younger 
man, the chief's son. Another son of the old chief ap- 
proached, and as Mackenzie stepped forward to shake 
hands with him the younger fellow broke the string 
of a handsome robe of sea-otter skin which he had on 
and put it over Mackenzie's shoulders. The chief 
took Mackenzie to his house, and treated him in a most 
hospitable manner. He was offered a dish made of the 
dried inner bark of the hemlock tree, soaked in fresh 



Alexander Mackenzie 131 

salmon oil. Food was plenty here, for die salmon run 
was at its height. Fish were drying on lines strung all 
about the village. These people were also very care- 
ful that nothing should be done to alarm their fish. 
They objected to water being taken from the river in 
an iron kettle, on the ground that the salmon disliked 
the smell of iron. Wooden boxes for holding water 
were given the explorers, however. Here were seen 
panels made of thick cedar boards, neatly joined and 
painted with hieroglyphics and figures of different ani- 
mals, such as are commonly seen on the coast. 

Here Mackenzie was obliged to do some doctoring, 
and he describes the methods of the native physicians 
in treating their patients. 

Mackenzie had several times asked the chief for 
canoes to take the party to the sea, but his requests 
had received little attention. When, however, he tried 
to take an observation the chief objected, not, appar- 
ently, because the natives were afraid of the instru- 
ments, but because their use might frighten the salmon 
from that part of the river. Just as they were about 
to embark in the large canoe, forty-five feet long, four 
feet wide, and three and a half feet in depth, it was dis- 
covered that an axe was missing, and there was a short 
halt. Mackenzie's resolution procured the return of 
the axe, and they went on. Villages were seen along 
the river, and once or twice they stopped. The people 
they passed seemed to have more and more articles of 
European manufacture, and they treated Mackenzie 
very well. On the evening of this day, at a village 



132 Trails of the Pathfinders 

where they stopped, Mackenzie says, "I could perceive, 
personally, the termination of the river and its dis- 
charge into an arm of the sea." 

The Indians novv^ seemed unwilling to go farther, 
but two of them were persuaded to keep on, and, tak- 
ing another canoe, about eight o'clock on Saturday, 
July 20, they left the river and reached an arm of the 
sea. The tide was out, and the large mud flats, sea- 
weed covered, were bare. Gulls, eagles, and ducks 
were seen. The weather was boisterous, and before 
long they put ashore in a cove for the night. One of 
the young natives here deserted, but, being pursued, 
was brought back. Since they had left the river por- 
poises and sea-otter — or seals — had been continually 
in sight. Fresh water was had from streams running 
down the mountains, and just after dark the young 
chief from up the river came into camp with a large 
porcupine, which was eagerly devoured by the half- 
starved men. The next day they came across three 
canoes with fifteen people, one of whom seemed to have 
had some trouble with white men not long before. 
The people they now met were somewhat annoying, for 
they begged, pilfered, and seemed to wish to see every- 
thing that the white men possessed. They constantly 
spoke of a white man named Macubah, very likely 
meaning Vancouver, and for the negative distinctly 
answered "No, no." 

On the face of a rock at this point Mackenzie in- 
scribed, with vermilion, a brief note, "Alexander Mac- 
kenzie, from Canada, by land, the 22d July, 1793." 



Alexander Mackenzie 133 

Here also he was able to establish his position with 
some exactness, and this done he started to return. 
At a village near the mouth of the river a number of 
people rushed toward Mackenzie, apparently about to 
attack him, and it seemed that these were the ones who 
had been fired on by the white people not long before. 
Mackenzie stood ready with his gun, and the Indians, 
seeing his attitude, dropped their knives. There was 
something of a scufBe, though Mackenzie was unin- 
jured, and the Indians made off with his hat and cloak. 
After a Httle while, the young chief returning, ex- 
plained that the men belonging to the canoes which 
had met them below in an inlet, had declared that 
the white people had killed four of their party. An 
explanation that this statement was false brought 
about a hollow truce, but relations were still some- 
what strained. The Indians brought them food, 
however, and gave them setting poles, all of which 
were paid for. 

Mackenzie's people were very much frightened, and 
were determined to leave the canoe and to start on 
foot over the mountains. So firm was this resolution 
that they threw everything that they had, except their 
blankets, into the river. Mackenzie, however, with his 
usual patience and resolution, set to work to guide them 
in the right way, and declaring that, now he had ac- 
complished his object, he had no other object but the 
common safety, that he wished to return in the easiest 
and safest way, and that one of their party was sick 
and could not travel, and that they must stay with 



134 Trails of the Pathfinders 

him. The result of this was that his people agreed 
that they would continue to follow him; but sev- 
eral of them declared that they would not again enter 
the canoe, of which they were much afraid. Five men, 
therefore, including Mackenzie and the sick Indian, 
entered the canoe, and made their slow way up the 
river. When they came in sight of a house they saw 
the young Indian, who had left them a day or two 
before, coming toward them with six people in a canoe. 
This encouraged them, as showing that the natives who 
had been spreading here reports about them had not 
been listened to. At this village they were treated well. 
At the main village above, the old chief received them 
as cordially as before, and fed them on fish and berries. 
Farther up the river it appeared that a sick man, to 
whom Mackenzie had given some simple remedy, had 
died, and it was feared that the death might have been 
attributed to this remedy. Above this point they again 
took to the trail. They were very suspicious of the 
Indians, as the Indians were of them, and were con- 
stantly alarmed; and a panic in one party was suc- 
ceeded by a panic in the other. At other villages they 
were kindly received, and various presents were given 
them, and Mackenzie devotes many pages to a descrip- 
tion of the habits of these people. When they left the 
friendly village each man carried about twenty pounds 
of fish, and they also had a little flour and some pem- 
mican. The sick Indian was slightly better, but could 
not travel fast, and in crossing rapids or difl&cult streams 
Mackenzie carried him on his back. 



Alexander Mackenzie 135 

It was now the last of July, the weather was warmer, 
the grass green, and the wild fruits ripe. High up on 
the mountains, though, the snow still clung, and the 
frost was hard. They were now marching fast, and as 
they went along they recovered from time to time the 
provisions that they had hid on their westward jour- 
ney. On the 4th of August they reached the place 
where they had left their canoe, and found all their 
property in good order. There was not a footprint 
near their cache. The Indians whom they met near 
at hand were frightened at first, but soon became 
friendly. Notwithstanding the fact that they had left 
the property of the explorer absolutely untouched, they 
took away from the camp a variety of small articles, 
which Mackenzie recovered by informing them that the 
salmon, which was their favorite food and necessary to 
their existence, came from the sea which belonged to 
the white men, and that since at the entrance of the 
river it was possible to prevent those fish from coming 
up it, the white man possessed the power to starve the 
Indians and their children. " To avert our anger, there- 
fore, they must return all the articles which had been 
stolen from us. This finesse succeeded." 

On the 6th of August, they embarked in their canoe 
on their return journey. The stream was full of sal- 
mon, and the work of pushing up the river was slow 
and difficult, but they were on the march toward home. 
Rains were frequent, but not long continued. On the 
15th they reached the place where the canoe had been 
wrecked on the 13th of June, and made unsuccessful 



136 Trails of the Pathfinders 

search for the bag of balls then lost. The following day 
they came to the Continental Divide, and it was here 
that Mackenzie had the thought of transferring some 
living salmon from the head of the Columbia to that of 
the Peace River. But, like most of his men, he was 
now in pretty bad condition from privation, excessive 
labor and cold, and he was unable to carry out the de- 
sire. On the 17th they carried across from the little 
lake to Peace River, and started down that stream. 
The passage was swift, and on the i8th they went down 
in one day what it had taken them seven to come up. 

They were now again reduced to a short allowance 
of food, and Mr. Mackay and the Indians were sent 
ahead to try and kill something, while the remainder of 
the party began to repair the canoe and to carry the 
baggage around the rapid, which, on their ascent, they 
had called Rocky Mountain Portage. About sunset 
Mr. Mackay returned with the flesh of a buffalo, and 
we may Imagine the sensations of these northmen when 
they again put their teeth into this familiar food. The 
journey down the river continued swift, and they were 
careful to land at the head of each rapids and inspect 
it, but the canoe being light they passed over most 
places without difiiculty. The hunters killed fat meat, 
and Mackenzie gives an Idea of the appetites by say- 
ing that. In three meals, ten people and a dog ate up 
an elk. 

On the 23d they were passing through a beautiful 
country full of buffalo, and on this day they killed a 
buffalo and a bear. On the 24th of August they rounded 



Alexander Mackenzie 137 

a point and came in view of the fort. *'We threw out 
our flag and accompanied it with a general discharge 
of fire-arms, while the men were in such spirits, and 
made such an active use of their paddles, that we 
arrived before the two men whom we left here in the 
spring could recover their senses to answer us. Thus 
we landed at four in the afternoon at the place which 
we left on the 9th of May. Here my voyages of dis- 
covery terminate. Their toils and their dangers, their 
solicitudes and sufferings have not been exaggerated in 
my descriptions. ... I received, however, the reward 
of my labors, for they were crowned with success." 



CHAPTER VIII 
LEWIS AND CLARK 



MOST famous of all the pathfinders of the United 
States are Lewis and Clark, explorers of the 
Missouri River to its headwaters, and of the 
Columbia from the heads of some of its chief tribu- 
taries to the Pacific; and thus the spanners of the 
continent. They were not, it is true, the first to 
traverse the wilderness which lay between the Atlantic 
and the Pacific, but of those who bore the name Ameri- 
can they were the first. 

In 1803 Louisiana was ceded by France to the United 
States for the sum of about fifteen milHons of dollars; 
but its boundaries were entirely uncertain, and neither 
the nation which sold nor that which bought knew what 
this territory included, how far it extended north or 
south or west, nor who nor what were its inhabitants. 
It was certain that there were a few French, Spaniards, 
and Creoles, besides some Americans, English, and 
Germans, and the slaves which they possessed. Little 
was known of the country, save for a short distance 
beyond the Mississippi River; and it was obviously 

138 



Lewis and Clark 139 

important to the new owners of the land to find out at 
once what the purchase meant to the United States. 

One thing seemed certain: the population of the 
United States, which had already spread far beyond 
the Allegheny Mountains, was constantly increasing 
and constantly pushing westward. The encroachments 
of the whites on the territory occupied by various tribes 
of the Indians were continual, and the Indians, natu- 
rally enough, resented, and sometimes resisted, these 
encroachments. Here, west of the Mississippi River, 
was a vast territory, unoccupied save by Indian tribes, 
many of which were wanderers. The population of 
this unoccupied territory was so sparse that no doubt it 
seemed to President Jefferson that here was room for 
all the Indians east of the Mississippi, and one of his 
first acts after the cession was concluded, was to at- 
tempt to learn what he could with regard to the oc- 
cupancy of this territory, presumably in the hope that 
all the Indians east of the Mississippi might be per- 
suaded to move westward beyond the river. 

Besides this, Jeff'erson had already — more than ten 
years before — endeavored to send out men to cross the 
continent to the Pacifice coast, but the effort had failed. 
But in January, 1803, before the completion of the 
purchase of Louisiana, he attempted this once more, 
recommending to Congress the despatching of a party 
to trace the Missouri River to its source, and to go thence 
to the Pacific Ocean. 

It is impossible for any man now living to conceive 
what such an expedition must have meant to the men 



140 Trails of the Pathfinders 

who were to command it. Here was a vast and un- 
known territory of indefinite width, peopled by un- 
known inhabitants, uncertain as to its food supply, 
containing unknown dangers and obstacles, which must 
be crossed on foot — though the journey should be be- 
gun by boat. It is true that the rumors long before 
brought back from the upper Mississippi Valley by 
Carver suggested waterways across the continent, but 
these were no more than rumors, and were mingled 
with an amount of fable which cast doubt on the 
whole story. 

Carver's reflections on the Shining Mountains, al- 
ready quoted, were the most definite statements that 
Jefferson or his explorers could have had of that far 
Western country. It is true that a few Hudson's Bay 
men had already penetrated as far west as the Rocky 
Mountains, which Mackenzie had crossed ten years 
before, yet it may be doubted whether any definite 
knowledge of this great achievement had as yet 
reached Washington. 

The journey which Lewis and Clark were to make 
was into a wilderness less known than any that we in 
our day can conceive of. 

The two men prepared to carry out their orders and 
there is no reason to suppose that they felt any doubt 
of their own success. Both came of good, old-fashioned 
fighting and exploring stock and they and all their 
men were made of the stuff which constituted the old- 
time Americans. Theirs was the sturdy independence, 
the unshrinking courage and dogged perseverance in 



Lewis and Clark 141 

the face of difficulty which gave to America its Daniel 
Boone, its David Crockett, and its Zebulon M, Pike; 
and they set out w^ith eagerness on their journey. 

The expedition started late in the year 1803, and 
proceeded up the river by boat. There were about 
forty-five men at the start, of whom twenty-five were 
soldiers, the whole company being enlisted as soldiers 
a little later. The baggage of the outfit consisted 
chiefly of ammunition, together with goods to be used 
as presents for the Indians. The transportation con- 
sisted of boats; one a keel boat, fifty-five feet long, 
drawing three feet of water, fitted for twenty-two oars 
and a sail; the other two were pirogues, open boats, 
dug-outs no doubt, one of six, the other of seven oars. 
There were two horses, which were to be taken along 
the bank for the purpose of hunting in time of scarcity, 
or for bringing in game that was killed. 

Having wintered at Wood River, in Illinois, the start 
was made on the 14th of May, 1804. At first their 
progress was not rapid. Nevertheless, before long they 
came to the country of the Osages. The story given 
of the origin of the tribe is worth repeating: "Accord- 
ing to universal behef, the founder of the nation was 
a snail, passing a quiet existence along the banks of 
the Osage, till a high flood swept him down to the Mis- 
souri and left him exposed on the shore. The heat 
of the sun at length ripened him Into a man; but with 
the change of his nature he had not forgotten his native 
seats on the Osage, toward which he Immediately bent 
his way. He was, however, soon overtaken by hun- 



142 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ger and fatigue, when, happily, the Great Spirit ap- 
peared and, giving him a bow and arrow, showed him 
how to kill and cook deer, and cover himself with the 
skin. He then proceeded to his original residence; but 
as he approached the river he was met by a beaver, 
who inquired, haughtily, who he was and by what 
authority he came to disturb his possession. The 
Osage answered that the river was his own, for he had 
once lived on its borders. As they stood disputing, the 
daughter of the beaver came, and having by her en- 
treaties reconciled her father to this young stranger, it 
was proposed that the Osage should marry the young 
beaver and share with her family the enjoyment of the 
river. The Osage readily consented, and from this 
happy union there soon came the village and the na- 
tion of the Wasbasha, or Osages, who have ever since 
preserved a pious reverence for their ancestors, abstain- 
ing from the chase of the beaver, because in killing that 
animal they killed a brother of the Osage." 

Struggling on northward, Lewis and Clark passed the 
Otoes and Missourias, and on June 25 reached the 
mouth of the Kansas — named from the Indians living 
on its banks — three hundred and forty miles from the 
Mississippi. Game was abundant, and there are allu- 
sions to deer, elk, and buffalo. At the mouth of the 
Platte River they sent out messengers to bring in Ind- 
ians, since a portion of their duty was to endeavor to 
make peace among the different tribes they met with. 
Otoes and Pawnees lived not far off, one of the Pawnee 
villages being then on the Platte, while another was on 



Lewis and Clark 143 

the Republican, and a third on the Wolf — now known 
as the Loup River. Incidental reference is here made 
to several tribes which wandered and hunted on the 
heads of the Platte River, and thence to the Rocky 
Mountains. 

One of these, called the Staitan or Kite Indians, is 
said to have acquired the name of Kite from their 
flying; that is, from "their being always on horse- 
back." These Indians were, of course, the Suhtai — 
Siihtai, tribal name, and hetan^ man. In other words, 
when some Indian was asked his name or the name of 
his tribe, he replied: "I am a man of the Suhtai," 
and this the explorers supposed was a tribal name. At' 
that time the tribe was still living as an independent 
tribe, though about a generation later they joined the 
Cheyennes and finally became absorbed by them. So 
complete is this absorption that the Suhtai language, 
formerly a well-marked dialect of the Cheyenne, dif- 
fering from it apparently almost as much as the Ari- 
kara dialect differs from the Pawnee, has been almost 
wholly lost. At the present day only a few of the 
older Cheyennes can recall any of its words. These 
Indians were said to be extremely ferocious, and the 
most warlike of all the Western Indians; they never 
yielded in battle, nor spared their enemies, and the 
retaliation for this barbarity had almost extinguished 
the nation. After these, according to our authors, come 
the Wetapahato and Kiawa tribes, associated together, 
and amounting to two hundred men. Wetapahato is the 
Sioux name for the Kiowas, which the Cheyennes have 



144 Trails of the Pathfinders 

abbreviated to Witapat. Other tribes are mentioned, 
hardly now to be identified. 

On July 31 a party of Otoe and Missouria Indians 
came to their camp, and on the following day a coun- 
cil was held, at which presents, medals, and other orna- 
ments were given to the Indians. The point where this 
council was held was given the name Council Bluffs, 
and it stands to-day across the river from Omaha, 
Nebraska. A little farther up the river they reached 
an old Omaha village, once consisting of three hundred 
cabins, but it had been burned about 1799, soon after 
the small-pox had destroyed four hundred men and a 
proportion of the women and children. This dread 
disease gave the Omahas the worst blow that they had 
ever received, and, perhaps even as much as their wars 
with the Pawnees, reduced them to a tributary people. 
On August 16, two parties were sent out to catch fish 
on a Httle stream. "They made a drag with small wil- 
lows and bark, and swept the creek; the first company 
brought three hundred and eighteen, and the second 
upward of eight hundred, consisting of pike, bass, fish 
resembling salmon, trout, redhorse, buffalo, one rock- 
fish, one flatback, perch, catfish, a small species of 
perch, called on the Ohio silverfish, and a shrimp of 
the same size, shape, and flavor of those about New 
Orleans and the lower part of the Mississippi." 

A few days before, one of their Frenchmen had de- 
serted, and the commanding officers had sent out men 
to capture him. This they succeeded in doing, but the 
man subsequently escaped again. On the i8th they 



Lewis and Clark 145 

received another party of Indians — Otoes and Missou- 
rias. The next day the jfirst death occurred in the ex- 
pedition, that of Charles Floyd, who was buried on 
the top of the hill, and his grave marked by a cedar 
post. 

The post which marked Floyd's grave had been 
thrown down by the winds before 1839, but was set 
up again by Joseph Nicollet in that year. All the 
time, however, the Missouri River was eating into the 
bank toward the grave, and in the spring of 1857 the 
high water undermined a part of the bluff and left 
Floyd's coffin exposed. When this became known at 
Sioux City, a party visited the grave and rescued the 
bones, reinterring them six hundred feet back from 
the first grave. This spot was lost again in the course 
of the years, but was rediscovered in 1895, and finally 
in 1 901 a permanent monument of white stone was 
erected to the first citizen soldier of the United States 
to die and be buried within the Louisiana Purchase, 
and the only man lost on the Lewis and Clark expedi- 
tion. 

Farther up the stream, beyond the mouth of the 
Big Sioux River, they killed their first buffalo. Near 
the mouth of the Whitestone they found a curious 
mound, described as a regular parallelogram, the 
longest side being three hundred yards, and the shorter 
sixty or seventy. It rises sixty-five or seventy feet 
above the plain, and shows at the summit a level 
plain about twelve feet in breadth and ninety in length. 
This, according to the Sioux, was called the Hill of the 



146 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Little People, and " they believe that it is the abode of 
little devils, in the human form, of about eighteen inches 
high, and with remarkably large heads; they are armed 
with sharp arrows, with which they are very skilful, 
and are always on the watch to kill those who should 
have the hardihood to approach their residence." Many 
Indians have been killed by these spirits, and, among 
"others, three Omaha Indians, only a few years before. 
The Sioux, Omahas, and Otoes are so afraid of the 
place that they never visit it." 

The wind blows so strongly over the plain in which 
this mound stands that insects are obliged to seek 
shelter on its leeward side, or be driven against it. 
The little birds which feed on these insects resort there 
in great numbers to pick them up. There the brown 
martin was so employed, and the birds were so tame 
that they would not fly until closely approached. 

At Calumet Bluff the party was visited by a number 
of Yankton Sioux, brought in by Sergeant Pryor and 
his party, who had gone to the village to induce them 
to come to the river. A council was held with these 
Indians and presents given them; and in the evening 
the Indians danced for the entertainment of the white 
men. To the Durions — Frenchmen who were trading 
with these Indians — presents were given; and they were 
requested to try to make peace between the Yanktons 
and their enemies. 

Reference is made to the soldier bands of the Sioux 
and Cheyennes, though without much comprehension 
of what this organization is. It is spoken of in these 



Lewis and Clark 147 



terms: "It is an association of the most active and 
brave young men, w^ho are bound to each other by at- 
tachment, secured by a vow never to retreat before any 
danger or give w^ay to their enemies. In war they go 
forward without sheltering themselves behind trees or 
aiding their natural valor by any artifice. This punc- 
tilious determination not to be turned from their course 
became heroic or ridiculous a short time since, when 
the Yanktons were crossing the Missouri on the ice. 
A hole lay immediately in their course, which might 
easily have been avoided by going round. This the 
foremost of the band disdained to do, but went straight 
forward, and was lost. The others would have fol- 
lowed his example, but were forcibly prevented by the 
rest of the tribe. The young men sit, and encamp, and 
dance together, distinct from the rest of the nation; 
they are generally about thirty or thirty-five years old, 
and such is the deference paid to courage that their 
seats in council are superior to those of the chiefs, and 
their persons more respected. But, as may be sup- 
posed, such indiscreet bravery will soon diminish the 
numbers of those who practice it, so that the band is 
now reduced to four warriors, who were among our 
visitors. These were the remains of twenty-two, who 
composed the society not long ago; but, in a battle 
with the Kite Indians of the Black Mountains, eighteen 
of them were killed, and these four were dragged from 
the field by their companions." 

Warrior societies, or, as they are more often termed, 
soldier bands, existed among all the plains tribes. In 



148 Trails of the Pathfinders 

some tribes there might be only four, in others a dozen 
or fifteen, such societies. They were police officers, 
and among their important duties was the seeing that 
orders of the chiefs were obeyed. 

The list of the Sioux tribes here given includes the 
Yanktons, the Tetons of the Burned Woods — now 
called Brules; the Tetons Okandandas — now known 
as Ogallalas; the Teton Minnakenozzo — Minnecon- 
jous ; the Teton Saone — Santees ; Yanktons of the 
Plains — Yanktonnaies; the Mindawarcarton — Minne- 
wakaton; the Wahpatoota — Wahpatones; the Sista- 
soone — Sissetons. 

Not far beyond Calumet Bluffs were found extraor- 
dinary earthworks, said by the explorers and French 
interpreters to be common on the Platte, the Kansas, 
and the James rivers. The Poncas were next passed, 
above La Riviere qui Court — the Niobrara. These 
are said to have been largely reduced in numbers by 
the attacks of their enemies, and to be now associating 
with the Omahas, and residing on the head of the Loup 
and the Running Water. Above here the first prairie 
dogs were seen; and not long after they were rejoined 
by one of their men who, twelve days before, had been 
sent off after lost horses, and, having found them, had 
been wandering along the river for twelve days, seeking 
his party. Mention is made on September 17 of a 
great prairie dog town, and it is told that their presence 
here enticed to this place "wolves of a small kind, 
hawks, and polecats, all of which animals we saw, and 
presume that they fed on the squirrels." The whole 



Lewis and Clark 149 

country here had recently been burned, and was now 
covered with young grass, on which herds of antelope 
and buffalo were feeding. 

On the 20th the party had a narrow escape from 
being buried under a falling bank, undermined by the 
river. On this day a fort and a large trading house 
built by Mr. Loizel for the purpose of trading with the 
Sioux was passed on Cedar Island, and the following 
day Indians stole one of their horses. They had now 
come to the country of the Teton Indians, and, holding 
a council with them, had more or less trouble, which 
would undoubtedly have resulted in fighting had it not 
been for the prudence of Captain Clark. The Indians 
were insolent, and were disposed to go just as far as per- 
mitted in annoying the white people. However, they 
were not allowed to impose on the party, and a short 
distance above this the main Teton village was passed, 
and here Captains Lewis and Clark were met at the 
river bank by ten young men, who carried them on 
buffalo robes to the large house where the council was 
to be held — an evidence of the highest respect. 

The custom of carrying a person who was to be highly 
honored on a robe or blanket by young men is very 
old. It was practised to show honor to aged or brave 
people, and also if two young people of good family 
were about to be married, the young girl, as she drew 
near the home of the bridegroom's parents, riding on a 
horse led by some old kinswoman, was often met 
by young men related to the bridegroom, who spread 
down a robe or blanket, assisted her from her horse. 



150 Trails of the Pathfinders 

asked her to sit down on the robe, and then carried her 
to the lodge of her future husband. 

In the shelter where they met were about seventy 
men, sitting about the chief, before whom were placed 
a Spanish flag and an American flag which Lewis and 
Clark had given him. Within the circle was the pipe, 
supported on two forked sticks, about six or eight inches 
from the ground, and beneath the pipe was scattered 
the down of a swan. Food was cooking over the fire, 
and near the kettle a large amount of buff'alo meat, 
intended as a present. The feast consisted of a dog, 
pemmican, and pomme blanche, and was ladled into 
wooden dishes with a horn spoon. After eating and 
smoking, a number of dances were performed. Con- 
cerning these, the very incorrect opinion is expressed: 
"Nor does the music appear to be anything more than a 
a confusion of noises, distinguished only by hard or 
gentle blows upon a bufi^alo skin; the song is perfectly 
extemporaneous." It is, of course, now well known 
that these songs and dances are always the same, and 
never, by any chance, change. 

It is noted that these Indians, who appear to have 
been Ogallalas, had then a fashion of dressing the hair 
diff^erent from anything recently known. The journal 
says: "The men shaved the hair off^ their heads, ex- 
cept a small tuft on the top, which they suff'ered to 
grow, and wore in plaits over the shoulders. To this 
they seemed much attached, as the loss of it is the usual 
sacrifice at the death of near relations." The dress of 
men and women is described, and it is noted that the 



Lewis and Clark 151 

fire-bags of these Sioux were made of the dressed skins 
of skunks. The women's dresses were not very unlike 
that of recent times. 

The Sioux met along the river by Lewis and Clark 
were new-comers in that country. It is true that twenty- 
five years before a few Sioux had crossed the Missouri 
River and had gone as far west as the Black Hills — 
which are constantly spoken of by Lewis and Clark 
as the Black Mountains. But it is also true that up 
to about the beginning of the nineteenth century few or 
no Sioux had crossed the Missouri River who remained 
permanently on the west bank. The accounts of many 
modern writers on Indian matters seem to imply that 
from time immemorial the Dakotas had roamed the 
Western plains, but it is well known by those who have 
given attention to the subject that this is not at all 
true; that the Sioux are a people of the East, and the 
tribal traditions constantly speak of their migration 
from the country of the rising sun. 

After four days spent with these Indians, prepara- 
tions were made to proceed up the river; but the Indians 
did not seem willing to let them go. They did not 
show any particular hostility, but were extremely irri- 
tating, and put the white men to so much trouble that 
they were obliged to threaten them with fighting. 
Even after they had at last succeeded in starting on 
their journey, these Sioux followed them along the river, 
and continued to annoy them. 

Not very far above the point where they were troubled 
by the Sioux they came on a village of Arikaras, with 



152 Trails of the Pathfinders 

whom some Frenchmen were living, and among them a 
Monsieur Gravelines. This man brought together the 
Arikara chiefs for a conference, in which speeches were 
made to them similar to those already uttered to the In- 
dians down the river. Some presents were given, but 
the offer of liquor was declined, the Indians saying that 
they were surprised that their father should present to 
them a liquor which would make them fools. From 
the Indians were received presents of corn, beans, and 
squashes. The following day other councils were had 
at other villages of the Rees; and the explorers finally 
left them to go on their way. The history of this tribe 
is given with substantial accuracy, and much is said 
about their habits and their good disposition. 

Farther up the river a camp of Sioux was passed, 
and beyond them a stream called Stone-Idol Creek. 
This name was given from the discovery that "a few 
miles back from the Missouri there are two stones re- 
sembling human figures, and a third like a dog; all of 
which are objects of great veneration among the Ari- 
karas." 

While nothing is said about the size of these figures, 
one wonders whether the reference may not be to 
that stone figure known as the Standing Rock, con- 
cerning which the Yankton Sioux have a tradition. 
We have not heard of the figure of a man in connection 
with the Standing Rock, but there was certainly the 
figure of a woman and of a dog, and the woman, who 
owned the dog, is said to have been a Ree woman. 
The Yankton tradition, however, is quite different from 



Lewis and Clark 153 

that given by Lewis and Clark. Their two stone fig- 
ures are a lover and a girl whose parents declined to 
permit the marriage; and these two young persons, the 
man accompanied by his dog, met on the prairie, and, 
after wandering about, were at last turned to stone. 
The Standing Rock, which is now at Standing Rock 
Agency, in North Dakota, is said to have been a Ree 
woman, who, after having long been the only wife of 
her husband, became jealous when he took another 
wife, and, lagging behind the travelling body of the 
Rees, was finally turned to stone, and remains to this 
day a warning to all jealous women. 

A little later during the day's journey they saw great 
numbers of "goats" (antelope) coming to the banks 
of the river. No doubt these animals were then mi- 
grating toward the mountains, or perhaps to the bro- 
ken hills of the Little Missouri. On October 18 they 
passed the Cannon-ball River, referred to as Le Boulet; 
and here they met two Frenchmen who had been robbed 
by the Mandans, but who turned about and proceeded 
north again with the white men, in the hope of recover- 
ing their possessions. Game was extremely abundant 
— buffalo, elk, and deer. An Indian who was with 
them pointed out to them a number of round hills, in 
which he declared the calumet birds — probably the 
thunder-bird — had their homes. 



CHAPTER IX 

LEWIS AND CLARK 

II 

AS they proceeded, they passed a number of ruined 
villages of the Mandans, the low mounds of 
earth showing where the sod houses had fallen 
in; but on October 24 they came to a large Mandan 
village, where they were received with friendship, and 
where the chief of the Arikaras smoked with the grand 
chief of the Mandans. 

On the 26th, at a large Mandan camp, they met a 
Mr. McCracken, a trader in the employ of the North- 
west Fur Company, who was much on the Missouri 
River in those early days. The younger Henry fre- 
quently mentions him in his journal, but at a slightly 
later day. The Mandans were not only most friendly, 
but most interested in the strange people who had ar- 
rived in boats; and men, women, and children crowded 
to the river-bank to see them. "The object which 
seemed to surprise them most was a corn-mill fixed to 
the boat, which we had occasion to use, and which de- 
lighted them by the ease with which it reduced grain 
to powder," for the Mandans, Hke other Indians, pul- 
verized their corn by pounding it in a mortar. 

154 



Lewis and Clark 155 

On the following day their boat reached the princi- 
pal Mandan village, and here was found a Frenchman 
named Jessaume, who was living among the Mandans 
with an Indian wife. Not far from the Mandan village 
was one of the Annahways, a tribe, according to Dr. 
Matthews, closely related to the Hidatsa, or Minnetari, 
a part of whose warriors were then absent on an ex- 
pedition against the Shoshoni. In speeches of the 
usual form, Captains Lewis and Clark expressed the 
good will of the Great Father at Washington, and his 
desire that all the tribes should be at peace; and pres- 
ents and medals were distributed among the chiefs. In 
the course of the next few days these presents were 
returned by gifts of corn and dried meat; and the An- 
kara chief set out for his home with one Mandan chief 
and several Minnetari and Mandan warriors. Cap- 
tain Clark, after much investigation, found a good 
situation for a winter post, and the work of felling 
timber and erecting buildings began. Besides the 
Mandan interpreter, Jessaume, they met here a Cana- 
dian Frenchman, who had been with the Cheyenne 
Indians "on the Black Mountains," and the previous 
summer had come by way of the Little Missouri to the 
Great River. The Little Missouri was always a great 
range for the Cheyennes. 

The weather, which for some time had been cold, 
now grew much colder, and ice formed on the edges 
of the rivers. Water fowl were passing south, and it 
was evident that soon the river would close up. A 
large camp of Assiniboines, with some Crees, had 



156 Trails of the Pathfinders 

come to the Mandan village and encamped there. 
A couple of Frenchmen made their appearance from 
farther down the river. It seems extraordinary how 
many Canadian Frenchmen there v^ere at this time 
in this distant country. 

Near Fort Mandan, just established, there v^ere five 
Indian villages, the residence of three distinct tribes, 
the Mandans, the Annahways, and the Minnetari. 
The journal gives the history of these nations as fol- 
lows: "Within the recollection of living witnesses 
the Mandans were settled forty years ago in nine 
villages (the ruins of which we passed about eighty 
miles below), situated seven on the west and two on the 
east side of the Missouri. The two finding themselves 
wasting away before the small-pox and the Sioux, 
united into one village and moved up the river opposite 
to the Ricaras. The same causes reduced the remain- 
ing seven to five villages, till at length they emigrated in 
a body to the Ricara nation, where they formed them- 
selves into two villages and joined those of their coun- 
trymen who had gone before them. In their new resi- 
dence they were still insecure, and at length the three 
villages ascended the Missouri to their present position. 
The two who had emigrated together settled in the two 
villages on the northwest side of the Missouri, while the 
single village took a position on the southeast side. In 
this situation they were found by those who visited them 
in 1796, since which the two villages have united into 
one. They are now in two villages, one on the south- 
east of the Missouri, the other on the opposite side, 



Lewis and Clark 157 

and at the distance of three miles across. The first, 
in an open plain, contains about forty or fifty lodges, 
built in the same way as those of the Ricaras; the 
second, the same number, and both may raise about 
three hundred and fifty men. 

"On the same side of the river, and at the distance 
of four miles from the lower Mandan village, is an- 
other, called Mahaha. It is situated on a high plain 
at the mouth of the Knife River, and is the residence 
of the Ahnahaways. This nation, whose name indi- 
cates that they were 'people whose village is on a hill,' 
formerly resided on the Missouri, about thirty miles be- 
low where they now lived. The Assiniboines and Sioux 
forced them to a spot five miles higher, where the great- 
est part of them were put to death, and the rest emi- 
grated to their present situation, in order to obtain an 
asylum near the Minnetarees. They are called by the 
French, Soulier Noir, or Black Shoe Indians ; by the 
Mandans, Wattasoons; and their whole force is about 
fifty men." 

Toward the end of November seven traders belong- 
ing to the Northwest Company reached the Mandans, 
coming from the Assiniboine River. Before long some 
of them began to circulate unfavorable reports among 
the Indians, and Captains Lewis and Clark found it nec- 
essary to take immediate steps to stop this. They told 
Mr. Laroche, the chief of the seven traders, that they 
should not permit him to give medals and flags to the 
Indians, who were under the protection of the American 
nation, and would receive consideration from them alone. 



158 Trails of the Pathfinders 

On the last day of November, word was brought that 
the Sioux had attacked the Mandans, and killed one 
and wounded two others, and that a number of Indians 
were missing. Captain Clark, therefore, in order to fix 
the loyalty of the Indians, summoned his whole force, 
and arming them, set out for the Mandan village. He 
told the chief who came out to meet him that he had 
come to assist them in their war, and would lead them 
against the Sioux, their enemies, and avenge the blood 
of their countrymen. This action made a great im- 
pression on the Mandans, and a Cheyenne captive, 
who had been brought up in the tribe, and attained a 
position of considerable importance, made a speech 
thanking the white men for their assistance, and ex- 
pressing the confidence of the Indians in them. There 
was a long talk, after which Captain Clark left the 
village. The next day six Sharha (Cheyenne) Indians 
came to the village, bringing the pipe of peace, and 
saying that their nation was three days' march behind 
them. With the Cheyennes were three Pawnees. The 
Cheyennes were at peace with the Sioux, and the Man- 
dans feared them and wished to put them to death, but 
knowing that this would be against the wishes of their 
white friends, they did nothing. Lewis and Clark note 
the common practice of calling the Arikaras, Pawnees, 
a practice which still exists. 

A little later something is said about the chief of the 
Mandans, and following this comes the story of the 
tribe's origin, as given by the Mandans themselves: 
"Their belief in a future state is connected with this 



Lewis and Clark 159 

tradition of their origin: The whole nation resided in 
one large village under ground, near a subterraneous 
lake. A grapevine extended its roots down to their 
habitation and gave them a view of the light. Some 
of the most adventurous climbed up the vine, and were 
delighted with the sight of the earth, which they found 
covered with buffalo, and rich with every kind of fruits. 
Returning with the grapes they had gathered, their 
countrymen were so pleased with the taste of them that 
the whole nation resolved to leave their dull residence 
for the charms of the upper region. Men, women, and 
children ascended by means of the vine; but when about 
half the nation had reached the surface of the earth a 
corpulent woman, who was clambering up the vine, 
broke it with her weight and closed upon herself and 
the rest of the nation the light of the sun. Those who 
were left on the earth made a village below, where we 
saw the nine villages; and when the Mandans die they 
expect to return to the original seats of their forefathers, 
the good reaching the ancient village by means of the 
lake, which the burden of the sins of the wicked will not 
enable them to cross." 

Although the weather was cold, buffalo were near, 
and there was much hunting by means of the surround, 
with the bow and arrows. Captain Clark hunted with 
the Indians, and killed ten buffalo, of which five only 
were brought into the fort, the remainder being taken 
by the Indians; since, as the buffalo were killed by guns, 
they bore no mark of identification, such as an arrow 
would have furnished. The next day Captain Lewis took 



i6o Trails of the Pathfinders 

fifteen men and went out to hunt buffalo. They killed 
eight and one deer; but, being obliged to travel on foot 
through deep snow, it took them a long time to approach 
the buffalo, and some of the men were frost-bitten. 

It was now mid-December, and very cold; and the 
white men suffered a good deal and hunted but little. 
About this time a Mr. Haney arrived from the British 
post on the Assiniboine, bearing a letter from Mr. 
Chabouillez, a well-known trader of the North, with 
offers of service. In the Mandan village the Indians 
were playing at sticks, apparently in the method prac- 
ticed at the present day among the Blackfeet. Thin 
circular stones are rolled along the ground, and followed 
by running men, who slide their sticks along the ground 
trying to have the disk fall on them. On December 
22 the explorers seem to have first seen the horns of the 
Rocky Mountain sheep. It is "about the size of a 
small elk or large deer, the horns winding like those of 
a ram, which they resemble also in texture, though 
larger and thicker." 

The year 1804 opened with New Year's day festiv- 
ities, and "in the morning we permitted sixteen men 
with their music to go up to the first village, where 
they delighted the whole tribe with their dances, par- 
ticularly with the movements of one of the French- 
men, who danced on his head." Frequent mention 
is made of the pleasure with which the Indians wit- 
nessed the dancing of the Americans, and this amuse- 
ment was much indulged in by the men, many of 
whom, as already said, were Frenchmen. 



Lewis and Clark i6i 

Although the cold was intense and the white men 
suffered severely, the Indians seemed to regard it very 
little. They were coming and going constantly, very 
slightly clad, and sometimes were obliged to sleep out 
in the snow, with no protection save a buffalo robe; 
and yet they were seldom frozen. 

During these months of inaction, Lewis and Clark 
were frequently occupied in settling individual quar- 
rels among the various Indians near them, making 
peace between husbands and wives and persuading the 
Indians to abandon war journeys planned for the fol- 
lowing spring. 

Traders from the North were frequent visitors to 
these villages. All through the winter the blacksmith 
kept at work with his forge, manufacturing various 
articles of iron, and the Indians seemed never to weary 
of watching him and admiring the magic by which 
he turned a straight piece of iron into a useful imple- 
ment. 

During all this time hunting was going on, for 
though the explorers had abundant provisions, yet 
they were supporting themselves as far as possible 
from the country. Besides the corn which they pur- 
chased from the Indians, in exchange for trade goods 
and bits of iron, they killed buffalo, deer, and elk; 
and on one hunt, in February, Captain Clark and his 
party killed forty deer, three buffalo, and sixteen elk. 
Most of the game was too lean for use, and was left 
for the wolves. A part, however, was brought to a 
point on the river, and there protected in pens built 



1 62 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of logs, which should keep off the wolves, ravens, and 
magpies. The next day four men were sent with 
sleds and three horses, to bring in the meat. They 
returned that night stating that a party of one hundred 
men had rushed upon them, cut the traces of the sleds 
and carried off two of the horses, the third being 
left them through the influence of one of the Indians. 
The Indians had also taken some of the men's arms. 
An effort was made to pursue these enemies, who 
were believed to be Sioux, and Captain Lewis, with 
a few Mandans, set out on their trail. This was fol- 
lowed for two or three days, until at last it turned off 
into the prairie. The supposition that these robbers 
were Sioux was confirmed by finding some moccasins 
that had been thrown away, though the Sioux had 
dropped some corn in one place, apparently with the 
hope of making it appear that they were Arikaras. 
Before returning. Captain Clark visited the place 
where the meat had been cached, and did some more 
hunting; and, having killed thirty-six deer, fourteen 
elk, and one wolf, he returned to the fort with about 
three thousand pounds of meat. 

The weather was now growing milder, and prep- 
arations began to be made for continuing the journey. 
Men were sent out to look for trees suitable for canoes. 
White men began to arrive from the Northwest Com- 
pany's post, and also Mr. Gravelines, with French- 
men from the Arikara village down the river. These 
brought word that the Rees were willing to make 
peace with the Mandans and Minnetari, and asked 



Lewis and Clark 163 

if the Mandans would be willing to have the Arikaras 
settle near them, and form with them a league against 
the Sioux. Word was brought that the Sioux who 
had stolen the explorers' horses had afterward gone to 
the Arikara village and told what they had done, and 
that the Rees were so angry at this that they had de- 
clined to give them anything to eat; in other words, 
had treated them as enemies. 

The river broke up late in March, and, as happened 
every spring, many buffalo were brought down on 
the floating ice. An interesting description is given 
of how the Indians killed the buffalo floating down 
on the cakes of ice, which they dared not leave. The 
men ran lightly over the loose ice in the river until 
they had reached the large cake on which the buffalo 
stood, and, killing it there, then paddled the cake of 
ice to the shore. 

A thunder-storm, accompanied by hail, came on 
April I — the breaking up of the winter. And now 
for several days the explorers were engaged in pack- 
ing specimens to be sent back to Washington; skins 
and skeletons of some of the animals of the country, 
together with a number of articles of Indian dress, 
arms, implements, tobacco seed, and corn, with speci- 
mens of some plants. Arrangements were made also 
for some of the chiefs of the Rees to visit the President; 
and a delegation from the Rees made a peace with 
the Mandans. 

The explorers were now ready to continue their 
journey, and left the fort the afternoon of April 7. 



164 Trails of the Pathfinders 

The party consisted of thirty-two persons, including 
the interpreters, one of whom was accompanied by 
his wife. At the same time their large boat, manned 
by seven soldiers and two Frenchmen, set out down 
the river for the distant United States. 

The journey up the river was slow, and it would be 
too long to tell of all they saw — things then new to 
all, but now common enough. The prairie and the 
river bottom swarmed with game — herds of buffalo, 
elk, antelope, with some deer and wolves. As they 
went along they saw a nest of geese built "in the tops 
of lofty Cottonwood trees," an interesting fact in natu- 
ral history, rediscovered more than fifty years later 
by an enterprising ornithologist. From time to time, 
as they passed up the river, they passed small aban- 
doned encampments of Indians, at one of which, 
"from the hoops of small kegs found in them, we 
judged could belong to Assiniboines only, as they 
are the only Missouri Indians who use spirituous 
liquors. Of these they are so passionately fond that 
it forms their chief inducement to visit the British on 
the Assiniboine, to whom they barter for kegs of 
rum their dried and pounded meat, their grease, 
and the skins of large and small wolves, and small 
foxes; the dangerous exchange is transported to their 
camps, with their friends and relations, and soon 
exhausted in brutal intoxication. So far from consider- 
ing drunkenness as disgraceful, the women and chil- 
dren are permitted and invited to share in these excesses 
with their husbands and fathers, who boast how often 



Lewis and Clark 165 

their skill and industry as hunters have supplied them 
with the means of intoxication; in this, as in other 
habits and customs, they resemble the Sioux, from 
whom they are descended." 

The recent presence of the Assiniboines on the 
river had made the game scarce and shy, and it was 
so early in the season that the animals killed were 
very thin in flesh, and almost useless for food. Beaver, 
however, were numerous, and seemed larger and fat- 
ter, and with darker and better fur, than any seen 
hitherto. They were now in the country of abundant 
buffalo, and the calves had already begun to make 
their appearance. On April 26 they reached the 
mouth of the Yellowstone River, "known to the 
French as La Roche Jaune." Game was so plenty 
that it was scarcely necessary to hunt, and they killed 
only what was needed for food. The river banks 
were lined with dead buffalo; some partly devoured 
by wolves. The buffalo had evidently been drowned 
in crossing, either by breaking through the ice or 
being unable to clamber from the water when landing 
under some high bluff. 

On April 29 Captain Lewis met his first grizzly 
bear, which the explorers call white bears. "Of the 
strength and ferocity of this animal the Indians had 
given us dreadful accounts; they never attack him but 
in parties of six or eight persons, and even then are 
often defeated, with the loss of one or more of the party. 
Having no weapons but bows and arrows, and the bad 
guns with which the traders supply them, they are 



1 66 Trails of the Pathfinders 

obliged to approach very near to the bear; and as no 
wound except through the head or heart is mortal, they 
frequently fall a sacrifice if they miss their aim. He 
rather attacks than avoids man; and such is the terror 
he has inspired that the Indians who go in quest of 
him paint themselves and perform all the superstitious 
rites customary when they make war on a neighbor- 
ing nation. Hitherto those we had seen did not appear 
desirous of encountering us, but although to a skilful 
rifleman the danger is very much diminished, the white 
bear is still a terrible animal. On approaching these 
two, both Captain Lewis and the hunter fired, and each 
wounded a bear. One of them made his escape; the 
other turned upon Captain Lewis and pursued him 
for seventy or eighty yards; but, being badly wounded, 
he could not run so fast as to prevent him from re- 
loading his piece, which he again aimed at him, and 
a third shot from the hunter brought him to the 
ground." 

The curiosity of the antelope is spoken of as being 
often the occasion of its easy destruction. "When they 
first see the hunters they run with great velocity; if he 
Hes down on the ground and lifts up his arm, his hat 
or his foot, they return with a light trot to look at 
the object, and sometimes go and return two or three 
times, till they approach within reach of the rifle. So, 
too, they sometimes leave their flock to go and look at 
the wolves, which crouch down, and, if the antelope 
is frightened at first, repeat the same manoeuver, and 
sometimes relieve each other till they decoy it from the 



Lewis and Clark 167 

party, when they seize it. But generally the wolves 
take them as they are crossing the rivers; for, although 
swift on foot, they are not good swimmers." 

As the party struggled on up the Missouri they passed 
the mouth of the Porcupine River, so-called from the 
unusual number of porcupines seen near it. They con- 
tinued to see vast quantities of buffalo, elk, and deer 
— principally of the long-tailed kind — with antelope, 
beaver, geese, ducks, and swans. As they went on, 
the game became much tamer. The male buffalo 
would scarcely give way to them, and as the white men 
drew near, looked at them for a moment and then 
quietly began to graze again. 

On May 4 they passed some old Indian hunting 
camps, "one of which consisted of two large lodges 
fortified with a circular fence twenty or thirty feet in 
diameter, and made of timber laid horizontally, the 
beams overlaying each other to the height of five feet, 
and covered with the trunks and limbs of trees that 
have drifted down the river. The lodges themselves 
are formed by three or more strong sticks, about the 
size of a man's leg or arm, and twelve feet long, which 
are attached at the top by a withe of small willows, 
and spread out so as to form at the base a circle of 
from ten to fourteen feet in diameter; against these are 
placed pieces of drift-wood and fallen timber, usually 
in three ranges, one on the other, and the interstices 
are covered with leaves, bark, and straw, so as to form 
a conical figure about ten feet high, with a small aper- 
ture in one side for the door." These lodges, of course, 



1 68 Trails of the Pathfinders 

were war lodges of the Assiniboines, Gros Ventres, or 
Blackfeet, though the travellers evidently took them for 
ordinary habitations. 

The explorers were greatly interested in the animals 
they saw — especially the bears — and gave good descrip- 
tions of them, and of their habits. 

The tenacity of life in the bears made them especially 
interesting, and their encounters with them were often 
marked by danger. However, the people usually 
hunted in couples or in small parties, and as yet no one 
had been hurt. 



CHAPTER X 

LEWIS AND CLARK 

ni 

THEY had now passed Milk River, and the Dry 
Fork, and the journal says: "The game is now 
in great quantities, particularly the elk and 
buffalo, which last are so gentle that the men are 
obliged to drive them out of the way with sticks and 
stones." Bears were abundant, and almost every day 
one was killed. 

They were approaching the mountains, and the 
spring storms, which here last until the middle of July, 
troubled them with abundant rains and by obscuring 
the view. On the 20th they reached the mouth of the 
Musselshell, and pushing on, in a short time found 
themselves among the bad lands of the upper Missouri. 
They were now obliged to "cordell," a number of the 
men walking on the shore with a tow-line, while others 
kept the boat off the bank. This was slow and diffi- 
cult work, and was made more dangerous by the fact 
that their elk-skin ropes were getting old and rotten, 
and were Hkely to break at critical times. On May 29 
some buffalo ran through the camp, and caused much 

169 



170 Trails of the Pathfinders 

confusion and alarm, no one knowing exactly what had 
happened until after it was all over. When they passed 
the mouth of the Judith River they found traces of a 
large camp of Indians, a hundred and twenty-six fires, 
made, as they conjectured, by "The Minnetari of Fort 
de Prairie," that is, the Gros Ventres of the Prairie — 
Arapahoes or Atsena. Here, too, they passed preci- 
pices about one hundred and twenty feet high, below 
which lay scattered the remains of at least a hundred 
carcasses of buffalo. The method by which the buffalo 
are driven over the cliffs by the upper Missouri tribes 
is described. At this place the wolves which had been 
feasting on these carcasses were very fat, and so gentle 
that one of them was killed with a spontoon or halberd. 
They were now among some of the most impressive 
bad lands of the Missouri River, and the extraordinary 
effects of erosion by air and water made the explorers 
wonder. 

Captains Lewis and Clark were much puzzled at 
this point to know which of the rivers before them was 
the main Missouri. The Minnetari had told them 
that the main Missouri headed close to the Columbia 
River, and it was this main stream that they wished to 
follow up, in order that they might strike Columbia 
waters, and thus continue their way toward the west. 
The choice of the wrong branch might take them a very 
long distance out of their way, and they would be 
forced to return to this point, losing a season for travel- 
ling, and also, perhaps, so disheartening the men as to 
take away much or all of their enthusiasm. Accord- 



Lewis and Clark 17 1 

ingly, two land parties set out, one under Captain Lewis 
and one under Captain Clark. Captain Lewis fol- 
lowed up the Missouri River, and became convinced 
that it was not the main stream, and that it would 
not be wise to follow it up. The remainder of his 
party, however, believed it to be the true Missouri. 
Captain Clark, who had followed up the other stream, 
had seen nothing to give him much notion as to whether 
it was or was not the principal river. After long con- 
sideration, and getting from the interpreters and French- 
men all that they knew on the subject, they determined 
to make a cache at this point, and that a party should 
ascend the southern branch by land until they should 
reach either the falls of the Missouri or the mountains. 
This plan was carried out. The heavy baggage, to- 
gether with some provisions, salt, powder, and tools, 
were cached; one of the boats was hidden; and Captain 
Lewis, with four men, started June 1 1 to follow up the 
southern stream. 

On the 13th they came to a beautiful plain, where 
the buffalo were in greater numbers than they had ever 
been seen, and a little later Captain Lewis came upon 
the great falls of the Missouri. This most cheering 
discovery gave them the information that they desired, 
and the next day an effort was made to find a place 
where the canoes might be portaged beyond the falls. 
This was not found; and a considerable journey up 
and down the river showed to the explorers the great 
number of falls existing at this place. Game was very 
numerous, and buffalo were killed and the meat pre- 



172 Trails of the Pathfinders 

pared, and a messenger was sent back to the main party 
to tell what had been discovered. One day in this 
neighborhood Captain Lewis, having carelessly left his 
rifle unloaded, was chased for a considerable distance 
by a bear, and finally took refuge in the river. The 
next day he was threatened by three buffalo bulls, which 
came up to within a hundred yards of him on the full 
charge, and then stopped; and the next day, in the morn- 
ing, he found a rattlesnake coiled up on a tree trunk 
close to where he had been sleeping. There seems to 
have been excitement enough in the neighborhood of 
the Great Falls. It was found necessary here to leave 
their boats behind, and the travellers made an effort to 
supply their place by a homely cart, the wheels of which 
were made from sections of the trunk of a large cotton- 
wood tree. 

For a good while now the party had been travelling, 
most of the time on foot, over rough country, covered 
with prickly pears, and the ground rough with hard 
points of earth, where the buffalo had trodden during 
the recent rains. Their foot-gear was worn out, and 
the feet of many of the men were sore. All were be- 
coming weak from exertion and the fatigues they were 
constantly undergoing. However, the enormous abun- 
dance of game kept them from suffering from hunger. 
Two or three weeks were spent in the neighborhood of 
the Great Falls, preparing for their onward journey. 
Provisions were secured by killing buffalo and drying 
their meat. They tried to prepare a skin boat for going 
up the river, and for various explorations and measure- 



Lewis and Clark 173 

ments in the neighborhood, but the attempt was un- 
successful. The iron frame had been brought from 
the East, but wood for flooring and gunwales was 
hardly to be had. They were obliged to give up the 
boat, strip the covering from it, and cache the pieces. 

While they were in this neighborhood, they were much 
annoyed by the white bears, which constantly visited 
their camp during the night. Their dog kept them 
advised of the approach of the animals, but it was 
annoying to be obliged to sleep with their arms by their 
sides and to expect to be awakened at any moment. 
The daring of the bears was great; once some of the 
hunters, seeing a place where they thought it likely that 
a bear might be found, climbed into a tree, shouted, and 
a bear instantly rushed toward them. It came to the 
tree and stopped and looked at them, when one of the 
men shot it. It proved to be the largest bear yet seen. 

Captain Clark, journeying with Chaboneau, the inter- 
preter, his wife and child, and the negro servant York, 
took shelter one day under a steep rock in a deep ravine, 
to be out of the rain and wind. A heavy shower came 
up, and before they knew it a tremendous torrent came 
rolling down the ravine, so that they narrowly escaped 
losing their lives. Captain Clark pulled the Indian 
woman up out of the water, which, before he could 
climb the bank, was up to his waist. The guns and 
some instruments were lost in the flood. 

The question of transportation was finally solved by 
their making two small canoes from cotton-wood trees, 
and they pushed on up the Missouri. A small party 



174 Trails of the Pathfinders 

went ahead on foot, examining the country. Game 
was fairly numerous, and near the Dearborn River they 
saw a ''large herd of the big horned animals." Indian 
camps were occasionally seen, and it was noted that in 
some places pine trees had been stripped of their bark, 
which, the Indian woman told them, was done by the 
Snakes in the spring, in order to obtain the soft parts of 
the wood and the bark for food. 

The river here was deep, and with only a moderate 
current, and they were obliged to employ the tow-rope, 
cordelling their vessel along the shore. Geese and 
cranes were breeding along the river; the young geese 
perfectly feathered and as large as the old ones, while 
the cranes were as large as turkeys. The land party 
followed for much of the distance an Indian trail, which 
led in the general direction they wished to go. 

They had now reached the Three Forks of the Mis- 
souri, which were duly named, as we know them to-day, 
Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin. They were in the 
country of the Snake Indians, whom they were in daily 
hope of meeting, feeling sure that through the medium 
of Chaboneau's wife they would be able to establish 
satisfactory relations with them. Captain Clark still 
kept ahead of the party, on foot, to learn the courses 
and practicabihty of the different streams for the canoes, 
and left notes at different points, with instructions for 
the boats. One of these notes, left on a green pole stuck 
up in the mud, failed to be received because a beaver 
cut down the pole after it had been planted, and the 
consequence was that the canoes proceeded for a 



Lewis and Clark 175 

considerable distance up the wrong fork, and were 
obliged to return. Reaching the Beaverhead, the Snake 
woman pointed out the place where she had been capt- 
ured five years before. On August 9 Captain Lewis, 
with three men, set out, determined to find some Indians 
before returning to the party, and the rest of the expedi- 
tion kept on up the main fork of the Jefferson as best 
they could. On August 11 Captain Lewis had the 
pleasure of seeing a man on horseback approaching 
him. The man's appearance was different from that 
of any Indian seen before, and Captain Lewis was con- 
vinced that he was a Shoshoni. When the two men 
were about a mile apart the Indian stopped, and Cap- 
tain Lewis signalled to him with his blanket, making 
the sign of friendship, and attempted to approach him. 
The Indian was suspicious, and unfortunately the two 
men who were following Captain Lewis did not observe 
the latter's sign to wait, and so, though the Indian per- 
mitted the white man to come to within a hundred 
yards of him, he finally turned his horse and rode off 
into the willows. They followed the track of the 
Indian as well as they could until night, and the next 
morning continued the search. By this time their food 
was nearly gone. They kept on up the stream until it 
had grown to be a rivulet so small that Captain Lewis 
could stand over it with one foot on either bank. 

Keeping on to the west, they reached the divide be- 
tween the Atlantic and Pacific waters, and the next day 
came upon a woman and a man, who declined to await 
near approach. A little bit later they came on three 



176 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Indians, an old and a young woman and a little girl. 
The young woman escaped by running, but the other 
two sat down on the ground and seemed to be awaiting 
death. Captain Lewis made them presents, and after 
a little conversation, by signs, they set out for the camp. 
Before they had gone far they met a troop of sixty 
warriors rushing down upon them at full speed. Cap- 
tain Lewis put down his gun and went forward with a 
flag. The leading Indians spoke to the women, who 
explained that the party were white men, and showed, 
with pride, the presents that they had received. The 
warriors received them with great friendliness, and they 
smoked together on the best of terms, and subsequently 
proceeded to the camp, where they were received with 
the utmost hospitality. The Indians had abundant 
fresh meat and salmon. Most of them were armed 
with bows, but a few had guns, which they had obtained 
from the Northwest Company. They had many horses, 
and hunted antelope on horseback, surrounding and 
driving them from point to point, until the antelope 
were worn out and the horses were foaming with sweat. 
Many of the antelope broke through and got away. 

Captain Lewis tried to arrange with the chief to 
return with him to the Jefferson, meet the party, and 
bring them over the mountains, and then trade for some 
horses. The chief readily consented, but it subse- 
quently appeared that he was more or less suspicious, 
and he repeated to Captain Lewis the suggestions made 
by some of the Indians that the white men were per- 
haps allies of their enemies and were trying to draw 



Lewis and Clark 177 

them into an ambuscade. The chief, with six or eight 
warriors, started back with Captain Lewis, and it was 
evident that the people in the village thought that they 
were going into great danger, for the women were cry- 
ing and praying for good fortune for those about to go 
into danger, while the men who feared to go were sullen 
and unhappy. Nevertheless, before the party had gone 
far from the camp, they were joined by others, and a 
little later all the men, and many of the women, over- 
took them, and travelled along cheerfully with them. 
Two or three days later Captain Lewis sent out two of 
his men to hunt, and this seemed to revive the suspicions 
of the Indians; and when, a little later, one of the 
Indians who had followed the hunters was seen riding 
back as hard as he could, the whole company of Indians 
who were with Captain Lewis whirled about and ran 
away as fast as possible. It was not until they had 
raced along for a mile or two that the Indian who re- 
turned made the others understand that one of the 
white men had killed a deer, and instantly the whole 
company turned about and ran back, each man eager 
to get first to the deer that he might make sure of a 
piece. 

Meantime the main party had struggled on up the 
river, and on August 17 were met by a messenger 
from Captain Lewis, Drewyer, together with two or 
three of his Indian friends. The two parties met, and, 
through the medium of Chaboneau's wife, all suspicions 
were allayed and the friendliest relations established. 
Efforts were now made to learn something about the 



1 78 Trails of the Pathfinders 

country to the westward and the best method of passing 
through it. The Indians said the way was difficult, 
the river swift, full of rapids, and flowing through deep 
canyons, which passed through mountains impassable 
for men or horses. The route to the southward of the 
river was said to pass through a dry, parched desert 
of sand, uninhabited by game, and impossible at that 
season for the horses, as the grass was dead and the 
water dried up by the heat of summer. The route to 
the northward, though bad, appeared to present the 
best road. 

Obviously, if it was practicable, the river presented 
the easiest passage through the country, and, in the hope 
that its difficulties had been exaggerated. Captain Clark 
set out to inspect its channel. Passing as far down the 
river as he could, the leader convinced himself that it 
was useless to attempt its passage. Game was scarce, 
and for food the party depended almost entirely on the 
salmon which they could purchase from the Indians, 
and which in some cases were freely given them. The 
Shoshoni Indians led a miserable life, depending chiefly 
on salmon and roots. They ventured out on the buf- 
falo plain to kill and dry the meat, though continually 
in fear of the Pahkees, "or the roving Indians of the 
Sascatchawan," who sometimes followed them even 
into the mountains. These Pahkees were undoubtedly 
the Piegan tribe of Blackfeet, known for many years as 
bitter enemies of the Snakes. 



CHAPTER XI 
LEWIS AND CLARK 

IV 

BY the end of August the explorers, having pro- 
cured a number of horses, set to work to make 
saddles, cache their extra baggage, and set out 
for their journey north and west. The way led them 
over rough mountains, often without a trail. They 
were fortunate in having an old Indian as guide, but 
met much cold weather, and found the country barren 
of game. However, after two or three days of very 
difficult travel, they came upon a camp of friendly 
Indians, who fed them. These people professed to be 
an offshoot of the Tushepaw tribe, had plenty of horses, 
and were fairly well provided. They told them that 
down the great river was a large fall, near which lived 
white people, who supplied them with beads and brass 
wire. Not long after this they met the first Chopunnish, 
or Pierced-nose Indians, whom we know to-day as Nez 
Perces. They were friendly, and were treated as other 
tribes had been. 

Although the explorers had had one satisfying meal, 
yet food was very scarce, and the Indians subsisted as 

179 



i8o Trails of the Pathfinders 

best they might on the few salmon still remaining in the 
streams, which they shared with the white men. The 
privations suffered recently were making them weak; 
many were sick; and it was so necessary to husband 
their strength that Captain Clark determined to make 
the remaining journey by water. Canoes were built, 
and the thirty-eight horses were branded and turned 
over to three Indians to care for until the explorers 
returned. Provisions for the trip were difficult to 
obtain. On the morning of October 7 they started 
down Lewis River without two of the Nez Perce chiefs 
who had promised to go with them. Indian encamp- 
ments were numerous along the river, but food con- 
tinued very scarce, and their only supply consisted of 
roots, which they got from the Indians. Later they 
bought some dogs from the Nez Perces for food, and 
were laughed at by the Indians, who did not eat dogs. 
The Nez Perces during summer and autumn occupied 
themselves in fishing for salmon and collecting roots 
and berries, while in winter they hunted the deer on 
snow-shoes, and toward spring crossed the mountains 
to the Missouri for the purpose of trading for buffalo 
robes. They appeared very different from the kindly 
Shoshoni; they were selfish and avaricious, and expected 
a reward for every service and a full price for every 
article they parted with. 

Although it was now drawing toward mid-October, 
the weather continued warm. Progress down the 
stream was rapid, though more so in appearance than 
in reality, owing to the river's bends. On the bank of 



Lewis and Clark i8i 

the stream, at a large Indian camp where they stopped 
October ii, a novel form of sweat-house was observed. 
Earth was banked up on three sides against a cut-bank 
at the river's edge, and the Indians, descending through 
the roof, which was covered with brush and earth, 
except for a small aperture, took down their hot stones 
and vessels of water and bathed here. 

They were now approaching the camp of a different 
nation of Indians, who had been warned of the coming 
of the party by the two chiefs who had gone before, 
and they began to receive visits from men who had 
come up the stream to satisfy the curiosity excited by 
the reports. When they reached the camp they were 
hospitably received, and the usual council was held, 
accompanied by distribution of presents and medals. 
Here they obtained from the Indians some dogs, a few 
fish, and a little dried horse-flesh. This was at the junc- 
tion of the Lewis River and the Columbia; and the 
Indians, who called themselves Sokulks, seemed a mild 
and peaceable people, living in a state of comparative 
happiness. The men appeared to have but one wife, 
old age was respected, and the people were agreeable 
to deal with. Their support was largely fish, to which 
were added roots and the flesh of the antelope. They 
were chiefly canoe people, and possessed but few horses. 

Here Captain Clark, while ascending the Columbia 
in a small canoe, first saw, besides the captured fish 
drying on scaffblds, "immense numbers of salmon 
strewed along the shore, or floating on the surface of 
the water." At the Indian villages that he passed he 



1 82 Trails of the Pathfinders 

was hospitably received, and here first the sage grouse, 
called a "prairie cock, a bird of the pheasant kind, of 
about the size of a small turkey," was captured. 

Proceeding down the Columbia a few days' journey, 
an interesting incident took place. **As Captain Clark 
arrived at the lower end of the rapid before any, except 
one of the small canoes, he sat down on a rock to wait 
for them, and, seeing a crane fly across the river, shot it, 
and it fell near him. Several Indians had been before 
this passing on the opposite side toward the rapids, and 
some who were then nearly in front of him, being either 
alarmed at his appearance or the report of the gun, fled 
to their homes. Captain Clark was afraid that these 
people had not yet heard that the white men were com- 
ing, and therefore, in order to allay their uneasiness be- 
fore the rest of the party should arrive, he got into the 
small canoe with three men, rowed over toward the 
houses, and, while crossing, shot a duck, which fell into 
the water. As he approached no person was to be seen, 
except three men in the plains, and they, too, fled as he 
came near the shore. He landed in front of five houses 
close to each other, but no one appeared, and the doors, 
which were of mat, were closed. He went toward one 
of them with a pipe in his hand, and, pushing aside the 
mat, entered the lodge, where he found thirty-two per- 
sons, chiefly men and women, with a few children, all 
in the greatest consternation; some hanging down their 
heads, others crying and wringing their hands. He 
went up to them and shook hands with each one in the 
most friendly manner; but their apprehensions, which 



Lewis and Clark 183 

had for a moment subsided, revived on his taking out a 
burning-glass, as there was no roof to the house, and 
hghting his pipe. He then offered it to several of the 
men, and distributed among the women and children 
some small trinkets which he had with him, and grad- 
ually restored a degree of tranquility among them. 
Leaving this house, and directing each of his men to 
visit a house, he entered a second. Here he found the 
inmates more terrified than those in the first; but he 
succeeded in pacifying them, and afterward went into 
the other houses, where the men had been equally suc- 
cessful. Retiring from the houses, he seated himself 
on a rock, and beckoned to some of the men to come 
and smoke with him, but none of them ventured to join 
him till the canoes arrived with the two chiefs, who 
immediately explained our pacific intentions toward 
them. Soon after the interpreter's wife landed, and 
her presence dissipated all doubts of our being well dis- 
posed, since in this country no woman ever accompanies 
a war party; they therefore all came out, and seemed 
perfectly reconciled; nor could we, indeed, blame them 
for their terrors, which were perfectly natural. They 
told the two chiefs that they knew we were not men, for 
they had seen us fall from the clouds. In fact, unper- 
ceived by them, Captain Clark had shot the white crane, 
which they had seen fall just before he appeared to 
their eyes; the duck which he had killed also fell close 
by him, and as there were some clouds flying over at 
the moment, they connected the fall of the birds with 
his sudden appearance, and believed that he had him- 



184 Trails of the Pathfinders 

self actually dropped from the clouds, considering the 
noise of the rifle, which they had never heard before, 
the sound announcing so extraordinary an event. This 
belief was strengthened, when, on entering the room, 
he brought down fire from the heavens by means of 
his burning-glass. We soon convinced them, however, 
that we were merely mortals, and after one of our chiefs 
had explained our history and objects, we all smoked 
together in great harmony." 

Below this, other Indian villages were passed, and 
there was more or less intercourse between the white 
men and the Indians. On the 20th an island was 
visited, one end of which was devoted to the burial of 
the dead. The passage down the river continued to be 
more or less interrupted by rapids and falls, about 
which they were obliged to make portages. All the 
Indians seemed to be friendly, and seemed also to be in 
great dread of the Snake Indians, with whom they were 
constantly at war. 

Here is described the method of certain tribes of pre- 
paring fish, by drying, and pounding it fine, and then 
placing it in a basket lined with skin of the salmon, 
and covering the top of the basket with skins. Fish 
prepared in this way would keep sound and sweet for 
years. It was an article of trade between these people 
and those farther down the river, who eagerly pur- 
chased it. The preparation seems to have been the 
equivalent of the pemmican, made of flesh, and so ex- 
tensively used on the eastern side of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. 



Lewis and Clark 185 

The rapids which they constandy encountered 
greatly delayed them, and sometimes the contents of 
one or more boats were soaked by being upset or by 
shipping water. Food was scarce, and they continued 
to purchase dogs for provisions. October 24 a change 
was noticed in the actions of the Indians, who seemed 
more suspicious than usual and approached the travel- 
lers with more caution. This alarmed the two Indian 
chiefs who had come with them down the river, and 
they wished to leave the party and return to their own 
country. However, they were persuaded to remain 
two nights longer, since they had proved most use- 
ful in quieting the fears of the different tribes met 
with and inspiring them with confidence in the white 
people. 

A little later they met Indians, some of whom wore 
white men's clothing, said to have been obtained from 
people farther down the stream, and who had also a 
musket, a cutlass, and several brass kettles. A chief 
who had some white men's clothing exhibited to the 
travellers, as trophies, fourteen dried forefingers, which 
he told them had belonged to enemies whom he had 
killed in fighting, to the south-east. At a burial-place 
were deposited brass kettles and frying-pans with holes 
in the bottoms. The making holes in these vessels, 
which were to contain liquid, was, of course, for the 
purpose of "killing" the vessel, that it might be use- 
ful to the spirit who was to use it in another life. Not 
very far below this they first met the wappato, a word 
now firmly established in the vernacular of the North- 



1 86 Trails of the Pathfinders 

west; it is the root of the plant Sagittaria, well known 
as an excellent food for human beings, and eagerly eaten 
by wild-fowl. The Indians with whom the explorers 
now came in contact were troublesome mortals, very 
presuming, and disposed to take anything that was left 
about. They possessed still more articles of white 
men's manufacture, some having muskets and pistols. 
Below the mouth of the Coweliske River they found an 
Indian who spoke a few words of English, and he gave 
them the name of the principal person who traded with 
them — a Mr. Haley. 

The river was now growing wider; there were great 
numbers of water-fowl; and on the afternoon of No- 
vember 7 the fog suddenly cleared away and they saw 
the ocean, the object of all their labors, the reward of 
all their anxiety. The weather was almost constantly 
rainy, and they were continually wet. There were 
numerous villages along the river, and these were to be 
avoided, because, like all Indian villages recently passed, 
they were terribly infested by fleas. Among the wild 
fowl killed in this locality were a goose and two canvas- 
back ducks. The sea was heavy in this mouth of the 
river, and the motion so great that several of the men 
became sea-sick. They landed in the bay, but the hills 
came down so steeply to the water's edge that there was 
no room for them to make a satisfactory camp nor to 
secure the baggage above high water. However, they 
raised the baggage on poles and spent a most uncom- 
fortable night. For some days now they camped on 
the beach, wet, cold, and comfortless, with nothing but 



Lewis and Clark 187 

dried fish to satisfy their hunger. Hunters sent out 
failed to bring in any game, but they bought a few fresh 
fish from the Indians. On the 15th of November, 
however, the sun came out, and they were able to dry 
their merchandise; and, the wind falling, they loaded 
their canoes, and after proceeding a short distance 
found a sand beach, where they made a comfortable 
camp. This was in full view of the ocean, quite on the 
route traversed by the Indians, many of whom visited 
them; and there was more or less game in the neighbor- 
hood, for the hunters brought in two deer, some geese 
and ducks, and a crane. 

It was now almost winter, and the travellers began 
to look out for a place where they might build their 
winter camp. The Indians reported deer and elk rea- 
sonably abundant on the opposite side of the bay; but, 
on the other hand, the explorers wished to be near the 
ocean, that they might provide themselves with salt, 
and also for the chance of meeting some of the trading 
vessels, which were expected in the course of the next 
two or three months. The rain continued and the 
hunters were unsuccessful. A diet of dried fish was 
making the men ill, and the prospects were not bright. 
However, on the 2d of December, one of the hunters 
killed an elk, the first taken on the west side of the 
Rocky Mountains; and we may imagine how much its 
flesh was enjoyed after the long diet of roots and fish. 
And now for some time deer and elk were killed in great 
abundance; but the continued wet weather caused 
much of the flesh to spoil. The Indians seemed to be 



1 88 Trails of the Pathfinders 

taking a good many salmon — presumably in the salt 
water of the bay — and they had many berries. 

Christmas and New Year's passed, and in the first 
days of January there came the news that a whale had 
been cast up on the beach. All the Indians hurried to 
it; and following them went Captain Clark and some 
of the men, and with them Chaboneau and his wife, 
the latter extremely anxious to venture to the edge of 
the salt water and to see the enormous "fish" which 
had come ashore. The skeleton of the whale measured 
one hundred and five feet in length. 

"While smoking with the Indians, Captain Clark 
was startled about ten o'clock by a loud, shrill cry from 
the opposite village, on hearing which all the natives 
immediately started up to cross the creek, and the guide 
informed him that some one had been killed. On ex- 
amination, one of our men was discovered to be absent, 
and a guard was despatched, who met him crossing the 
creek in great haste. An Indian belonging to another 
band, and who happened to be with the Killamucks 
that evening, had treated him with much kindness, and 
walked arm in arm with him to a tent, where our man 
found a Chinnook squaw who was an old acquaintance. 
From the conversation and manner of the stranger, this 
woman discovered that his object was to murder the 
white man for the sake of the few articles on his person; 
and when he rose and pressed our man to go to another 
tent, where they would find something better to eat, 
she held McNeal by the blanket. Not knowing her 
object, he freed himself from her, and was going on with 



Lewis and Clark 189 

his pretended friend, when she ran out and gave a 
shriek which brought the men of the village over, and 
the stranger ran off before McNeal knew what had 
occasioned the alarm." 

With a small load of blubber and oil, the party re- 
turned to the fort, where they found that game was still 
being killed, and endeavored to jerk some of it. Much 
is said in the journal about the various Indian tribes of 
the neighborhood, their method of hunting and fishing, 
their habitations, and their dress and implements. 
The* canoes, and the skill in managing them, excited the 
unfeigned admiration of the white men; and the fact 
that such canoes could be constructed by people with- 
out axes, and armed only with a chisel, made of an old 
file, about an inch or an inch and a half in width, seemed 
to them very extraordinary. It was noted that some 
of the Indians, especially the women, appeared to tattoo 
the legs and arms; and on the arm of one woman was 
read the name J. Bowman; perhaps some trader who 
had visited the locality. Among these people women 
were very well treated, and old age was highly respected. 



CHAPTER XII 
LEWIS AND CLARK 



THE winter was spent chiefly in procuring food 
and in observing the natives and the geography 
of the neighboring country, and the expedition 
had not expected to leave their permanent camp, Fort 
Clatsop, before the first of April. By the first of March, 
however, the elk, on which they chiefly depended for 
food, had moved away to ascend the mountains, and 
their trade goods being almost exhausted, they were 
too poor to purchase food from the Indians. It was 
evident that they must start back up the river, in the 
hope of there finding food, and must reach the point 
where they had left their horses before the Indians there 
should have moved off" across the mountains or dis- 
persed over the country. 

During the winter they had worked hard at dressing 
skins, so that they were now well clad, and had besides 
three or four hundred pairs of moccasins. They still 
had also one hundred and forty pounds of powder and 
about twice that weight of lead, quite enough to carry 
them back. 

190 



Lewis and Clark 191 

On the 23d of March, therefore, after giving certifi- 
cates to some of the Indian chiefs, and leaving tacked 
up on one of their cabins a notice of their successful 
crossing of the continent and their start back, they set 
out in two canoes up the Columbia. As they passed 
along they at first found little difficulty in securing pro- 
visions from the acquaintances they had made w^hile 
descending the river; and besides this, the hunters killed 
some game. Before long, how^ever, they began to meet 
Indians coming down the river who informed them that 
they had been driven from the Great Rapids by lack of 
provisions, their winter store of dried fish having be- 
come exhausted, and the salmon not being expected 
for a month or more. This was dismal news to people 
who were ascending the river in the hope of obtaining 
provisions, but there was nothing for them to do except 
to keep on, living on the country as well as they could, 
trying to reach the place where they had left their horses 
before the Indians should have departed. Their hun- 
ters succeeded in killing some deer and elk on the 
south side of the river, though there seemed no game 
on the north. Besides that, the deer killed were so 
extremely thin in flesh that it hardly seemed worth 
while to bring them into camp. 

Many of the Indians still stood in great fear of the 
"medicine" of the white men; and Captain Clark, re- 
turning from a short exploring trip, saw an example of 
this. "On entering one of the apartments of the house, 
Captain Clark oflPered several articles to the Indians in 
exchange for wappatoo; but they appeared sullen and 



192 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ill-humored, and refused to give him any. He there- 
fore sat down by the fire opposite to the men, and, draw- 
ing a portfire match from his pocket, threw a small piece 
of it into the flames; at the same time he took out his 
pofket compass, and by means of a magnet which hap- 
pened to be in his inkhorn, made the needle turn round 
very briskly. The match immediately took fire, and 
burned violently, on which the Indians, terrified at this 
strange exhibition, brought a quantity of wappatoo and 
laid it at his feet, begging him to put out the bad fire; 
while an old woman continued to speak with great 
vehemence, as if praying and imploring protection. 
After receiving the roots. Captain Clark put up the 
compass, and, as the match went out of itself, tran- 
quillity was restored, though the women and children 
still sought refuge in their beds and behind the men. 
He now paid them for what he had used, and, after 
lighting his pipe and smoking with them, continued 
down the river." 

The hunters still were killing some game, but it was 
so thin as to be unfit for use; six deer and an elk were 
left in the timber, while two deer and a bear were 
brought in. The wappatoo was now largely the food 
of all the Indians. The bulb, which grows in all the 
ponds of the interior, is gathered by the women, who, 
standing in deep water, feel about in the mud for the 
roots of the plant and detach the bulbs with their toes; 
these rise to the surface and are thrown into the canoe. 
The roots are like a small potato and are light and very 
nutritious. 



Lewis and Clark 193 

A few days later they obtained from the Indians the 
skin of a "sheep" (mountain goat), which is described 
so that there is no doubt about the identification. The 
hunters also killed three black-tailed deer. Near 
Sepulcher Rock, a burial-place for the surrounding 
tribes. Captain Clark crossed the river in the endeavor 
to purchase a few horses, by which they might trans- 
port their baggage and some provisions across the 
mountains, but in this he was unsuccessful. However, 
some Indians were met, who promised a little later to 
meet them and furnish some horses. At the foot of the 
Great Narrows four were purchased to assist in carry- 
ing the baggage and the outfit over the portage. 

The Indians at the upper end were rejoicing over the 
catching of the first salmon; and they were so good- 
natured that they sold the white men four more horses 
for two kettles, which reduced the stock of kettles to one. 
There was a good deal of trouble here from thefts by 
the Indians, and from their practice of trading articles 
and then returning and giving back the price that they 
had received and demanding articles that had been 
traded. So annoying did this become, that Captain 
Clark declared to the Indians in council assembled that 
the next man caught thieving would be shot; and a 
little bit later he was obliged to threaten to burn the vil- 
lage. At last, however, they got away, with ten horses, 
and proceeding up the river secured a few others. By 
this time they had exhausted pretty much all their trade 
goods, and the capacity to buy was about at an end. 
The Indian tribes that they were passing now did not 



194 Trails of the Pathfinders 

seem to be particularly friendly and held themselves 
aloof; but a chief of the Walla Wallas, whom they 
met a Httle later, treated them most hospitably, and in 
striking contrast to the people that they had lately seen. 
This chief presented Captain Clark with a fine horse, 
and received in return a sword, one hundred balls, 
some powder, and some other small presents. The 
chief helped them cross the river in his canoes, and 
they camped on the Columbia, at the mouth of the 
Walla Walla River. They now possessed twenty-three 
horses, and on the whole were in pretty good shape, 
except that they had but little food and had nothing 
left which they could trade for food. About the first 
of May they met a party of Indians, consisting of one 
of the chiefs of the Nez Perces who had gone down 
Lewis River with them the previous year and had been 
of great service to them, and had now come to meet 
them. They were now out of provisions, but at an 
Indian camp not far off managed to obtain two lean 
dogs and some roots. As they went on they learned 
that most of the Nez Perces were scattered out gather- 
ing spring roots, but the Indian in whose charge their 
horses had been left was not far away. 

At this point the explorers were applied to by two 
or three persons who were ill, and their simple treatment 
benefiting the Indians, their fame greatly increased. 
The white men were careful to give the Indians only 
harmless medicine, trying to assist nature rather than 
to do anything that was radical. The Indians who had 
been benefited gave material evidence of their gratitude. 



Lewis and Clark 195 

Since they had been on the Columbia River the In- 
dians had made great fun of the white men because they 
ate dogs, and it was just after their experience in doctor- 
ing, but at another village, that "an Indian standing by, 
and looking with great derision at our eating dog's flesh, 
threw a poor half-starved puppy almost into Captain 
Lewis's plate, laughing heartily at the humor of it. 
Captain Lewis took up the animal and flung it back 
with great force into the fellow's face, and seizing his 
tomahawk, threatened to cut him down if he dared 
to repeat such insolence. He immediately withdrew, 
apparently much mortified, and we continued our dog 
repast very quietly." Continuing their journey, they 
were again appHed to for medical advice and assistance, 
but declined to practice without remuneration. One 
or two small operations were performed, and a woman 
who had been treated, declaring the next day that she 
felt much better, her husband brought up a horse, 
which they at once killed. 

Having crossed the river, on the advice of the Indians 
that more game was to be found, they kept on their way, 
and the day after the hunters brought in four deer, 
which, with the remains of the horse, gave them for the 
moment an abundant supply of food. Here they met 
Twisted Hair, in whose charge they had left their 
horses. He told them that, owing to the care that he 
had taken of their horses, he had been obliged to quarrel 
with other chiefs, who were jealous of him, and that 
finally he had given up the care of the horses, which 
were now scattered. They soon recovered twenty-one 



196 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of their horses — most of which were in good condition — 
a part of their saddles, and some powder and lead 
which had been put in the cache with them. The 
Indians gave them two fat young horses for food, ask- 
ing nothing in return, and the hospitality and generosity 
of these Indians made a great impression on the white 
men, who were now disposed to treat them with a great 
deal more courtesy and consideration than had been 
their custom. Captain Lewis at this meeting is quite 
enthusiastic about these Chopunnish Indians, whom he 
describes as industrious, cleanly, and generous — a report 
quite different from that made on the way down the river. 
At the village where they camped May 1 1, the Indians 
lived in a single house, one hundred and fifty feet long, 
built of sticks, straw, and dried grass. It contained 
about twenty-four fires, about double that number of 
families, and might muster, perhaps, one hundred 
fighting men. The difficulty of talking to these Indians 
was great, for Captains Lewis and Clark were obliged 
to speak in English to one of the men, who translated 
this in French to Chaboneau, who interpreted to his 
wife in Minnetari; she told it in Shoshoni to a young 
Shoshoni prisoner, who finally explained it to the Nez 
Perces in their own tongue. After the council was over, 
the wonders of the compass, the spy-glass, the magnet, 
the watch, and the air-gun were all shown to the Indians. 
Here they were obliged also to do a good deal of doctor- 
ing, and finally another council was held, at which it 
was agreed by the Indians to follow the advice of Cap- 
tains Lewis and Clark. Presents were made by the 



Lewis and Clark 197 

Indians to the whites, and to each chief was given a flag, 
a pound of powder, and fifty balls, and the same to the 
young men who had presented horses to them. They 
also paid the man who had charge of their horses, in 
part, agreeing with him to give the balance so soon as 
the remainder of the horses were brought in. 

On the 14th of May they crossed the river and made a 
camp, where they purposed to wait until the snow had 
melted in the mountains. The hunters killed two bears 
and some small game, much of which they gave to the 
Indians, to whom it was a great treat, since they seldom 
had a taste of flesh. Many patients continued to be 
brought to them, whom they doctored, and with some 
success. 

Early in June they began to make preparations to 
cross the mountains, though the Indians told them it 
would be impossible to do this before about the first 
of July. They were now well provided with animals, 
each man having a good riding horse, with a second 
horse for a pack, and some loose horses to be used in 
case of accident or for food. The salmon had not yet 
come up the river. They started on the 15th of June 
in a rain, and on the way found three deer, which their 
hunters had killed. They soon began to climb the 
mountains, and before long found themselves traveUing 
over hard snow, which bore up their horses well; but it 
was evident that the journey would be too long to make, 
since for several days' travel there would be no food for 
the animals. So they were obliged to turn back and 
wait for the warmer weather. 



198 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Two men who had been sent back to the Indian vil- 
lage to hurry up the Indians who had promised to cross 
the mountains with them, and make peace with the 
Indians on the upper Missouri, returned with three 
Indians who agreed to go with them to the falls of 
the Missouri. A little later they started again, usually 
keeping on the divide, in order to head all streams and 
not cross any running water. The country was com- 
pletely covered with snow. On the 26th of June they 
camped high up on the mountains, where there was 
good food for the horses. The travelling was pleasant, 
the snow hard. Their provisions had now about given 
out, however, except that they still had some roots; but 
now and then a deer was killed, which kept them from 
absolute starvation. 

By July I they had reached a country where game was 
quite abundant, deer, elk, and big-horn being plenty in 
the neighborhood. It was determined to divide the 
party and to cover more country on the return than 
they had when coming out. Captain Lewis, with nine 
men, was to go to the falls of the Missouri, leave three 
men there to prepare carts for transporting baggage and 
canoes across the portage, and with the remaining six 
to ascend Maria's River and explore the country there. 
The remainder of the party were to go to the head of 
the Jefferson River, where nine men under Sergeant 
Ordway should descend it with the canoes. Captain 
Clark's party was to go to the Yellowstone, there build 
canoes, and go down that river with seven men; while 
Sergeant Pryor, with two others, should take the horses 



Lewis and Clark 199 



overland to the Mandans, and thence go north to the 
British posts on the Assiniboine and induce Mr. 
Henry to persuade some of the Sioux chiefs to go with 
him to Washington. This plan was carried out. 

Captain Lewis kept on to the Dearborn River. This 
was a good game country and they made rapid prog- 
ress, and before long found themselves at their old 
station, White Bear Island. During the flood of the 
river the water had entered their cache and spoiled 
much of their property. They had much trouble here 
with lost horses, and one of their men, riding suddenly 
upon a bear, his horse wheeled and threw him, and the 
bear drove him up a tree where he was kept all day. 

Captain Lewis now started to explore the Maria's 
River, and, following it up, almost reached the foot 
of the Rocky Mountains. Here they met a band of 
Indians, who stated that they were Gros Ventres of the 
Prairie, or, as Lewis and Clark put it, Minnetari of Fort 
de Prairie, and who, after some hesitation, appeared to 
be friendly enough, and smoked with Captain Lewis. 
They expressed themselves as willing to be at peace with 
the Indians across the mountains, but said that those 
Indians had lately killed a number of their relations. 
Captain Lewis kept a very close watch, fearing that the 
Indians would steal his horses. This did not happen, 
but on the following day, July 27, the Indians seized 
the rifles of four of the party. As soon as Fields and 
his brother saw the Indian running off with their two 
rifles they pursued him, and, overtaking him, stabbed 
him through the heart with a knife. The other guns 



200 Trails of the Pathfinders 

were recovered without killing any of the Indians; but as 
they were trying to drive off the horses, Captain Lewis 
ordered the men to follow up the main party, who were 
driving the horses, and shoot them. He himself ran 
after two other Indians, who were driving away an- 
other bunch of horses, and so nearly overtook them 
that they left twelve of their own animals but continued 
to drive off one belonging to the white men. Captain 
Lewis had now run as far as he could, and calhng to the 
Indians several times that unless they gave up the horse 
he would shoot, he finally did so, and killed an Indian. 
The other men now began to come up, having recovered 
a considerable number of the horses; they had lost one 
of their own horses and captured four belonging to the 
Indians, They now retreated down the river with the 
horses that they had, but took nothing from the Indians' 
camp. 

These Indians were probably not Gros Ventres, as 
stated in the Lewis and Clark journal. Precisely the 
same story was told me in the year 1888 by the oldest 
Indian in the Blackfoot camp, as having been witnessed 
by him in his boyhood on Birch Creek, a branch of the 
Maria's. Wolf Calf, the narrator, was considered much 
the oldest Indian in the Piegan camp, and was sup- 
posed to be more than ninety-five years old. The 
Indian killed by Fields was named Side Hill Calf. 
He said that he was a boy with the Indian war party. 

Captain Lewis, believing that they would be promptly 
pursued by a much larger party of Indians and attacked, 
at once began a retreat. The Indian horses which had 



Lewis and Clark 201 

been captured proved good ones, the plains were level, 
and they rode hard for more than eighty miles, only stop- 
ping twice to kill a buffalo and to rest their horses. 
They stopped at two o'clock in the morning, and at day- 
light started on again, and at last when they reached the 
Missouri they heard the report of a gun, and then a 
number of reports and before long had the satisfaction 
of seeing their friends going down the river. They 
landed, and Captain Lewis's party, after turning loose 
the horses, embarked, with the baggage, and kept on 
down the stream. Before long they met Sergeants Gass 
and Willard, who were bringing down horses from the 
falls, and now the whole party had come together, ex- 
cept Captain Clark's outfit, which had gone down the 
Yellowstone. 

The journey down the Missouri was quickly made, 
and at the mouth of the Yellowstone a note was found 
from Captain Clark, who had gone on before them. 
Not far below this Captain Lewis, while hunting elk on 
a willow grove sand-bar, was shot in the thigh by his 
companion, Cruzatte, who apparently mistook him for 
an elk, he being clad in buckskin. At first Captain 
Lewis thought that they had been attacked by Indians, 
but no signs of Indians being found, the conclusion that 
Cruzatte had shot him, apparently by mistake, seemed 
inevitable. On August 12 they met Captain Clark's 
party, whose adventures had been much less startling 
than theirs. His party had started up Wisdom River, 
on the west side of the mountains, and, crossing over to 
the head of the Jefferson, had passed through a beauti- 



202 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ful country — the Beaverhead — very lovely in its sur- 
roundings, with fertile soil, and abounding in game. 

Most of the party had gone down the river in canoes, 
but a few men had been left on the land to drive down 
the horses. A part of these, under Sergeant Ordway, 
kept on down the river, while at the mouth of the Madi- 
son, Captain Clark, with ten men and the wife and child 
of Chaboneau, taking the fifty horses, crossed over to 
go to the Yellowstone and descend it. When they 
reached the Yellowstone, they followed it down for some 
little time, through a country abounding in buffalo, 
deer, and elk. Very likely they would have gone on far- 
ther but for an accident to one of the men, who was so 
badly hurt that he could not sit on his horse. Small 
timber being found, canoes were constructed, which 
were lashed together and loaded preparatory to setting 
out. While all this was being done, twenty-four of their 
horses disappeared, and a little search showed a piece of 
rope and a moccasin, which made it clear that the horses 
had been run off by the Indians. Sergeant Pryor, with 
two men, was ordered to take the remaining horses 
down the river to the mouth of the Bighorn, where they 
could cross and from there he was to take them to 
the Mandans. The canoes which went on down the 
river passed various streams, and at one point came 
upon what appeared to have been a medicine lodge of 
the Blackfeet. At a stream to which they gave the 
name of Horse Creek, they found Pryor with his ani- 
mals. He had had much trouble in driving the horses, 
since, as many of them had been used by the Indians 



Lewis and Clark 203 

in hunting buffalo, whenever they saw a bunch of 
buffalo they would set off in pursuit of them. To pre- 
vent this, Sergeant Pryor was obliged to send one man 
ahead of the horse herd to drive away the buffalo. 

From the top of Pompey's Pillar Captain Clark had a 
wide and beautiful prospect over the country, dotted 
everywhere by herds of buffalo, elk, and wolves. Big- 
horn were abundant here and farther down the stream, 
and the noise of the buffalo — for this was now the rutting 
season — was continuous. The large herds of elk were 
so gentle that they might be approached within twenty 
paces without being alarmed. The abundance of buf- 
falo was so great that the travellers were in great fear, 
either that they would come into their camp at night and 
destroy their boats by trampling on them, or that the 
herds, which were constantly crossing the river, would 
upset the boats. Bears, also, were very abundant, and 
quite as fierce as they had been on the Missouri. Cap- 
tain Clark killed one, the largest female that they had 
seen, and so old that the canine teeth had been worn 
quite smooth. Mosquitoes here were terribly abundant; 
several times, it is said, they alighted on the rifle barrels 
in such numbers that it was impossible to take sight. 

On August 8 they were joined by Sergeant Pryor and 
his men, who had no horses; every one of them had been 
taken off the second day after they left the party by 
Indians. They followed them for a short distance, but 
without overtaking them; and finally coming back to 
the river, built two row-boats, in which they came down 
the stream with the utmost safety and comfort. On the 



204 Trails of the Pathfinders 

nth of August they met two trappers who had left 
Illinois in the summer of 1804, ^^^ had spent the follow- 
ing winter with the Tetons, where they had robbed and 
swindled a French trader out of all his goods. They 
told Captain Clark that the Mandans and Minnetaris 
were at war with the Arikaras, and had killed two of 
them, and also that the Assiniboines were at war with 
the Mandans, news which could not have been very 
pleasing to the explorers, whose efforts on their way up 
the river had been so strong for peace. 

The party having come together on August 12, they 
kept on down the river, and two days later reached the 
village of the Mandans. Flere they had protracted 
councils with the Mandans and Minnetaris, and tried 
hard to persuade some of them to go on with them to 
Washington. Colter applied to the commanding offi- 
cers for permission to join the two trappers who had 
come down the river to this point, and he was accord- 
ingly discharged, supplied with powder and lead, and a 
number of other articles which might be useful to him. 
The next day he started back up the river. What 
Colter's subsequent adventures were is well known to 
any one who has followed the course of early explora- 
tion in the West. Colter's Hell, if we recollect right, 
was the first name ever appHed to the geyser basins 
of the Yellowstone Park. 

Though the Mandans and Minnetaris were as friendly 
and hospitable as possible, and gave them great stores 
of corn, none of the principal men would consent to go 
to Washington. They promised, however, to be more 



Lewis and Clark 205 

attentive to the requests of the white men, to keep the 
peace with their neighbors, and were greatly pleased 
and proud of the gift to the chief of the Minnetaris, Le 
Borgne, of the swivel, for which Captain Clark no longer 
had any use, as it could not be discharged from the 
canoes on which they were travelling. Here, too, they 
discharged their interpreter, Chaboneau, who wished 
to remain with his wife and child. One of the chiefs. 
Big White, consented, with his wife and child, to accom- 
pany the white men. Before the expedition finally left 
the village there was a last talk with the Indians, who 
sent word to the Arikaras by Captain Clark, inviting 
them to come up and meet them, and saying that they 
really desired peace with the Arikaras, but that they 
could place no dependence on anything that the Sioux 
might say. 

Keeping on down the river, they found game plenty 
and the mosquitoes troublesome. At the Ankara vil- 
lage they were well received, and found there a camp of 
Cheyennes, also friendly. The Rees expressed willing- 
ness to follow the advice that Captain Clark had given 
them, but made many excuses for the failure to follow 
their counsels of the year before. The Cheyenne chief 
invited the white men to his lodge, and Captain Clark 
presented a medal to the chief, to that individual's 
great alarm, for he feared that it was "medicine" and 
might in some way harm him. The Cheyennes are 
described as friendly and well-disposed, though shy. 

The trip down the river was unmarked by adven- 
ture. Enormous quantities of buffalo were seen, and 



2o6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

on the 30th of August they came upon a party of Teton 
Sioux, under a chief called Black Bull. Other Sioux 
were seen, and on September 3 they came to the trad- 
ing post of a Mr. James Airs, who presented each of 
the party with as much tobacco as he could use for the 
rest of the voyage, and also gave them a barrel of flour. 
Below the mouth of the Big Sioux River they passed 
Floyd's grave, which they found had been opened. 
Two days later they passed the trading post of one of 
the Choteaus and a little later the Platte, and at last, 
on September 20, reached the Httle village of La 
Charette. On September 23 they reached St. Louis 
and went on shore, where they received "a most hearty 
and hospitable welcome from the whole village." 



CHAPTER XIII 
ZEBULON M. PIKE 



SIDE by side in fact — though by no means in popu- 
lar estimation — with the heroic explorers, Lewis 
and Clark, stands Zebulon M. Pike, the young 
soldier, who first reached the sources of the Mississippi, 
later those of the Arkansas, and who was one of the 
first genuine Americans to see the Spanish City of the 
Holy Faith. Born in New Jersey in 1779, Pike entered 
the army in his father's regiment about the year 1794. 
In July, 1805, a lieutenant, he was detailed, by order of 
General James Wilkinson, to explore the sources of the 
Mississippi. From this expedition he returned in 1806, 
and shortly afterward set out on an expedition up the 
Kansas River to the country of the Osages, and thence 
to the Kitkahahk village of the Pawnees, then on the 
Republican River. From here he went westward to 
the sources of the Arkansas River, in what is now Colo- 
rado. On this expedition he approached Santa Fe, 
was captured by the Spaniards, and escorted south 
through Mexico and what is now Texas to the Spanish- 
American boundary on the borders of the present State 
of Louisiana, where he was set free. 

207 



2o8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

It would be perhaps difficult to point out, since Rev- 
olutionary times, a more heroic figure than that of Pike, 
or to name a man who did more for his country. 
It is chiefly as an explorer that we must now con- 
sider him, and must briefly tell the history of his jour- 
neyings for two years through that country which was 
then Louisiana; yet his subsequent and involuntary 
wanderings through Mexico and Texas cannot be 
separated from his earlier travels. Some time after his 
return from the Southwest, he wrote a book, which was 
issued four years before the journal of Lewis and Clark. 
In reviewing his life of exploration, we shall in large 
measure let him tell his own story. 

On the 9th of August, 1805, with one sergeant, two 
corporals, and seventeen privates, Pike started from 
St, Louis up the Mississippi River in a keel boat seventy 
feet long and provisioned for four months. The water 
was swift, the way hard, and they had much foul 
weather, which held them back, and made their days 
and nights uncomfortable. Occasionally they saw 
fishing camps of Indians, and passed the farms of some 
Frenchmen, lately transferred without their knowledge 
or consent from allegiance to old France to citizenship 
in the new United States. 

One of Pike's especial duties was to conciliate the 
Indians he met, and, so far as possible, to arrange for 
peace between warring aboriginal tribes. On the 20th 
he came to a Sac village, where he had a talk with the 
Indians, who Hstened to him respectfully, and appeared 
to agree to what he said. Further along he met villages 




LIEUTENANT ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, MONUMENT AT 
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO. 



Zebulon M. Pike 209 

of the Reynards, or Foxes, showing that at this time the 
Sacs and Foxes were living separately, though allies. 

The way was long, and progress, though often cover- 
ing thirty or forty miles a day, was slow, owing to the 
windings of the river. Pike was now approaching that 
debatable land over which the Sioux and Sauteurs or 
Ojibwas were continually fighting backward and for- 
ward. He tells of meeting, September i, Monsieur 
Dubuque, who told him that these tribes were then en- 
gaged in active hostilities, and, among other things, that 
a war party "composed of Sacs, Reynards, and Puants 
(Winnebagoes), of 200 warriors, had embarked on an 
expedition against the Sauteurs, but they had heard 
that the chief, having had an unfavorable dream, per- 
suaded the party to return, and that I would meet them 
on my voyage." This is interesting, as showing that at 
this time the Sacs and Foxes, who are of Algonquin 
stock, had allied themselves with the Winnebagoes of 
Siouan stock against people of the latter race. 

Indians were abundant here, and were always on 
the lookout for enemies. The firing of guns by Pike's 
party, who had landed to shoot wild pigeons, was the 
signal for some Indians in the neighborhood to rush to 
their canoes and hastily embark. Indeed, Pike was 
told that all the Indians had a dread of Americans, 
whom they believed to be very quarrelsome, very brave, 
and very much devoted to going to war; a reputation 
which had undoubtedly reached the savages through 
the English and French traders. 

A little further along, the Ouisconsing River was 



210 Trails of the Pathfinders 

reached, and they met the Fols Avoin Indians, the 
Menominees, a tribe still existing at Green Bay, Wis- 
consin. Further on he had a meeting with a number 
of Sioux and Pike reports the council: 

"On the arrival opposite the lodges, the men were 
paraded on the bank with their guns in their hands. 
They saluted us with ball with what might be termed 
three rounds; which I returned with three rounds from 
each boat with my blunderbusses. This salute, al- 
though nothing to soldiers accustomed to fire, would 
not be so agreeable to many people; as the Indians had 
all been drinking, and as some of them even tried their 
dexterity, to see how near the boat they could strike. 
They may, indeed, be said to have struck on every side 
of us. When landed, I had my pistols in my belt and 
sword in hand. I was met on the bank by the chief, 
and invited to his lodge. As soon as my guards were 
formed and sentinels posted, I accompanied him. 
Some of my men who were going up with me I caused 
to leave their arms behind as a mark of confidence. 
At the chiefs lodge I found a clean mat and pillow for 
me to sit on, and the before-mentioned pipe on a pair 
of small crutches before me. The chief sat on my right 
hand, my interpreter and Mr. Frazer on my left. After 
smoking, the chief spoke to the following purport. 

" 'That notwithstanding he had seen me at the Prairie 
(du Chien), he was happy to take me by the hand 
among his own people, and there show his young men 
the respect due to their new father (President Jefferson). 
That, when at St. Louis in the spring, his father (Gen- 



Zebulon M. Pike 211 

eral Wilkinson) had told him that if he looked down the 
river he would see one of his young warriors (Pike) 
coming up. He now found it true, and he was happy 
to see me, who knew the Great Spirit was the father of 
all, both the white and the red people; and if one died 
the other could not Hve long. That he had never been 
at war with their new father, and hoped always to pre- 
serve the same understanding that now existed. That 
he now presented me with a pipe, to show to the upper 
bands as a token of our good understanding, and that 
they might see his work and imitate his conduct. That 
he had gone to St. Louis on a shameful visit, to carry a 
murderer; but that we had given the man his life, and 
he thanked us for it. That he had provided something 
to eat, but he supposed I could not eat it, and if not, to 
give it to my young men.* 

"I replied: 'That although I had told him at the 
Prairie my business up the Mississippi, I would again 
relate it to him.' I then mentioned the different ob- 
jects I had in view with regard to the savages who had 
fallen under our protection by our late purchase from 
the Spaniards; the different posts to be established; the 
objects of these posts as related to them, supplying them 
with necessaries, having officers and agents of Govern- 
ment near them to attend to their business; and above 
all, to endeavor to make peace between the Sioux and 
Sauteurs. 'That if it was possible on my return I 
should bring some of the Sauteurs down with me, and 
take with me some of the Sioux chiefs to St. Louis, there 
to settle the long and bloody war which had existed be- 



212 Trails of the Pathfinders 

tween the two nations. That I accepted his pipe with 
pleasure, as the gift of a great man, the chief of four 
bands, and a brother; that it should be used as he de- 
sired.' I then eat of the dinner he had provided, which 
was very grateful. It was wild rye [rice] and venison, 
of which I sent four bowls to my men, 

*'I afterward went to a dance, the performance of 
which was attended with many curious maneuvers. 
Men and women danced indiscriminately. They were 
all dressed in the gayest manner; each had in the hand 
a small skin of some description, and would frequently 
run up, point their skin, and give a puff with their 
breath, when the person blown at, whether man or 
woman, would fall, and appear to be almost lifeless, or 
in great agony, but would recover slowly, rise, and join 
in the dance. This they called their great medicine, or, 
as I understood the word, dance of religion, the Indians 
believing that they actually puffed something into each 
others' bodies which occasioned the falling, etc. It is 
not every person who is admitted; persons wishing to 
join them must first make valuable presents to the 
society to the amount of forty or fifty dollars, give a 
feast, and then be admitted with great ceremony. Mr. 
Frazer informed me that he was once in the lodge with 
some young men who did not belong to the club; when 
one of the dancers came in they immediately threw their 
blankets over him and forced him out of the lodge; he 
laughed, but the young Indians called him a fool, and 
said 'he did not know what the dancer might blow into 
his body.' 



Zebulon M. Pike 213 

"I returned to my boat, sent for the chief, and pre- 
sented him with two carrots of tobacco, four knives, 
half a pound of vermihon, and one quart of salt. Mr. 
Frazer asked liberty to present them some rum; we 
made up a keg between us of eight gallons — two gallons 
of whiskey, the rest water. Air. Frazer informed the 
chief that he dare not give them any w^ithout my permis- 
sion. The chief thanked me for all my presents, and 
said 'they must come free, as he did not ask for them.' 
I replied that 'to those w^ho did not ask for anything, 
I gave freely; but to those who asked for much, I gave 
only a little or none.' 

"We embarked about half-past three o'clock, came 
three miles, and camped on the west side. Mr. Frazer 
w^e left behind, but he came up w^ith his two peroques 
about dusk. It commenced raining very hard. In the 
night a peroque arrived from the lodges at his camp. 
During our stay at their camp there were soldiers ap- 
pointed to keep the crowd from my boats, who executed 
their duty w4th vigilance and rigor, driving men, wom- 
en, and children back whenever they came near my 
boats. At my departure, their soldiers said, 'As I had 
shaken hands with their chief, they must shake hands 
with my soldiers.' In which request I willingly in- 
dulged them." 

Pike was now journeying through the country passed 
over forty years before by Carver, and he was evidently 
familiar with his journeyings. Of La Crosse prairie he 
says: 

"On this prairie Mr. Frazer showed me some holes 



214 Trails of the Pathfinders 

dug by the Sioux when in expectation of an attack, into 
which they first put their women and children, and then 
crawl themselves. They were generally round and 
about ten feet in diameter, but some were half-moons 
and quite a breastwork. This I understood was the 
chief work, which was the principal redoubt. Their 
modes of constructing them are, the moment they ap- 
prehend or discover an enemy on the prairie, they 
commence digging with their knives, tomahawks, and a 
wooden ladle; and in an incredibly short space of time 
they have a hole sufficiendy deep to cover themselves 
and their families from the balls or arrows of the enemy. 
They (enemies) have no idea of taking these subter- 
raneous redoubts by storm, as they would probably lose 
a great number of men in the attack; and although 
they might be successful in the event, it would be con- 
sidered a very imprudent action." 

Heretofore but little food had been killed by the ex- 
pedition, except pigeons; but they were now getting into 
a country where there was more or less game. On 
September 14, Pike, who had gone ashore with three 
others of his party to hunt, saw abundant sign of elk, 
but failed to see any of them, though his men saw 
three from the boat; and from this time forth more or 
less mention is made of game by short entries, such as, 
"Saw three bear swimming over the river." "Killed 
a deer," "killed three geese and a raccoon," and other 
similar notes. 

On the 23d of September Pike held a council with 
the Sioux, who, hearing by a rumor of his arrival in the 



Zebulon M. Pike 215 

country, returned from a war party on which they had 
set out. He talked with these Sioux, on many matters 
of which the principal one was the granting by the 
Indians of a site near the Falls of St. Anthony for a 
military post, as well as the establishment of peace be- 
tween the Ojibwas and Sioux. Three important chiefs 
named Little Crow, Risen Moose, and the Son of Pin- 
chow, replied, promising him about a hundred thou- 
sand acres of land, as well as a safe conduct for himself 
and such Ojibwa chiefs as he might bring back with 
him. They were doubtful, however, about the pros- 
pects of making a peace with their old-time enemies. 
The treaty, or grant, was drawn up and signed, and the 
Sioux returned to their homes. 

The following day the flag from Pike's boat was miss- 
ing. This he naturally regarded as a very serious mis- 
fortune. He punished his sentry, and calling up his 
friend. Risen Moose, told him of the trouble, and urged 
him to try to recover the flag, for he was not by any 
means sure that it had not been stolen by an Indian. 
However, the next day he was called out of bed by 
Little Crow, some of whose people had found the flag 
floating in the water below their village, and beheving 
that this must mean that the white men had been at- 
tacked. Little Crow had come up to see what the matter 
was. The appearance of the flag at Little Crow's vil- 
lage had put an end to a quarrel which was in progress 
between his people and those of a chief called White 
Goose. Pike says: "The parties were charging their 
guns, and preparing for action, when lo! the flag ap- 



2i6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

peared like a messenger of peace sent to prevent their 
bloody purposes. They were all astonished to see it. 
The staff was broken. Then Petit Corbeau arose and 
spoke to this effect: 'That a thing so sacred had not 
been taken from my boat without violence; that it 
would be proper for them to hush all private animosities 
until they had revenged the cause of their eldest brother; 
that he would immediately go up to St. Peter's to know 
what dogs had done that thing, in order to take steps 
to get satisfaction of those who had done the mischief.' 
They all listened to this reasoning; he immediately 
had the flag put out to dry, and embarked for my camp. 
I was much concerned to hear of the blood likely to 
have been shed, and gave him five yards of blue stroud, 
three yards of calico, one handkerchief, one carrot of 
tobacco, and one knife, in order to make peace among 
his people. He promised to send my flag by land to 
the falls, and to make peace with Outard Blanche." 
The flag was returned two days later by two young 
Indians, who had brought it overland. 

It was now October, and clear weather, the thermom- 
eter falling sometimes to zero. Hitherto the principal 
food killed had been geese, swans, and prairie chickens; 
but on October 6 Pike saw his first elk — two droves of 
them. As they kept on up the river, geese, ducks, and 
grouse, with occasionally a deer, continued to be se- 
cured. Frequently Pike found hanging to the branches 
of the trees sacrifices left there by the Indians. These 
were sometimes bits of cloth, or articles of clothing, or 
painted skins. As the weather grew colder, and ice 



Zebulon M. Pike 



217 



was often met with, Pike began to think of a place 
where he should winter. The boats were becoming very 
leaky, and the men, terribly overworked, were losing 
strength and becoming inefficient. He therefore de- 
termined to make a permanent camp, afterward called 
Pike's Fort, and to leave a part of his men there in block- 
houses while he proceeded up the river; but before the 
separation took place, there was much to be done. 
Happily, the country abounded in game, so that for 
those who were to be left behind there would be no 
danger of starvation. Pike went out one morning and 
killed four bears, while his hunters killed three deer. 

Log houses were built, and several small canoes were 
made for travel on the river. But after his canoes were 
launched and loaded, one of them sank and wet his 
ammunition, and in endeavoring to dry the powder in 
pots he blew up the powder and the tent in which 
he was working. It being necessary to build another 
canoe, Pike again went off to hunt to a stream where 
much elk and buffalo sign had been seen. The day 
following was spent in hunting, but with very little 
result; and the account which Pike gives of it shows 
how little the explorer and his party knew about the 
game that they were pursuing, or the proper methods 
of securing it. He says: "I was determined, if we 
came on a trail of elk, to follow them a day or two in 
order to kill one. This, to a person acquainted with 
the nature of those animals and the extent of the prairie 
in this country, would appear — what it really was — 
a very foolish resolution. We soon struck where a 



21 8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

herd of one hundred and fifty had passed; pursued, 
and came in sight about eight o'clock, when they ap- 
peared, at a distance, like an army of Indians moving 
along in single file; a large buck, of at least four feet 
between the horns, leading the van, and one of equal 
magnitude, bringing up the rear. We followed until 
near night without once being able to get within point 
blank shot. I once made Miller fire at them with his 
musket at about four hundred yards' distance; it had 
no other effect than to make them leave us about five 
miles behind on the prairie. Passed several deer in 
the course of the day, which I think we could have 
killed, but did not fire for fear of alarming the elk. 
Finding that it was no easy matter to kill one, I shot 
a doe through the body, as I perceived by her blood 
where she lay down in the snow; yet, not knowing how 
to track, we lost her. Shortly after saw three elk by 
themselves, near a copse of woods. Approached near 
them and broke the shoulder of one, but he ran off 
with the other two just as I was about to follow. Saw 
a buck deer lying on the grass; shot him between the 
eyes, when he fell over. I walked up to him, put my 
foot on his horns, and examined the shot; immediately 
after which he snorted, bounced up, and fell five steps 
from me. This I considered his last effort; but soon 
after, to our utter astonishment, he jumped up and ran 
off. He stopped frequently; we pursued him, expect- 
ing him to fall every minute; by which we were led from 
the pursuit of the wounded elk. After being wearied 
out in this unsuccessful chase, we returned in pursuit 



Zebulon M. Pike 219 

of the wounded elk, and when we came up to the party, 
found him missing from the flock. Shot another in the 
body, but my ball being small, he likewise escaped. 
Wounded another deer; when, hungry, cold, and fa- 
tigued, after having wounded three deer and two elk, 
we were obliged to encamp in a point of hemlock woods 
on the head of Clear River. The large herd of elk lay 
about one mile from us in the prairie. Our want of 
success I ascribe to the smallness of our balls, and to 
our inexperience in following the track after wounding 
the game, for it is very seldom a deer drops on the spot 
you shoot it. 

"Sunday, November 3. — Rose pretty early and went 
in pursuit of the elk. Wounded one buck deer on the 
way. We made an attempt to drive them into the 
woods, but their leader broke past us, and it appeared 
as if the drove would have followed him, though they 
had been obliged to run over us. We fired at them 
passing, but without effect. Pursued them through the 
swamp until about ten o'clock, when I determined to 
attempt to make the river, and for that purpose took a 
due south course. Passed many droves of elk and 
buffalo, but being in the middle of an immense prairie, 
knew it was folly to attempt to shoot them. Wounded 
several deer but got none. In fact, I knew I could 
shoot as many deer as anybody, but neither myself nor 
company could find one in ten, whereas one experienced 
hunter would get all. Near night struck a lake about 
five mil'es long and two miles wide. Saw immense 
droves of elk on both banks. About sundown saw a 



220 Trails of the Pathfinders 

herd crossing the prairie toward us. We sat down. 
Two bucks, more curious than the others, came pretty 
close. I struck one behind the fore shoulder; he did 
not go more than twenty yards before he fell and died. 
This was the cause of much exultation, because it ful- 
filled my determination; and, as we had been two days 
and nights without victuals, it was very acceptable. 
Found some scrub oak. In about one mile made a 
fire, and with much labor and pains got our meat to 
it, the wolves feasting on one half while we were carry- 
ing away the other. We were now provisioned, but 
were still in want of water, the snow being all melted. 
Finding my drought very excessive in the night, I went 
in search of water, and was much surprised, after 
having gone about a mile, to strike the Mississippi. 
Filled my hat and returned to my companions. 

"November 4. — Repaired my moccasins, using a 
piece of elk's bone as an awl. We both went to the 
Mississippi and found we were a great distance from 
the camp. I left Miller to guard the meat, and marched 
for camp. Having strained my ankles in the swamps, 
they were extremely sore, and the strings of my mocca- 
sins cut them and made them swell considerably. Be- 
fore I had gone far I discovered a herd of ten elk; ap- 
proached within fifty yards and shot one through the 
body. He fell on the spot, but rose again and ran off. 
I pursued him at least five miles, expecting every minute 
to see him drop. I then gave him up. When I arrived 
at Clear River, a deer was standing on the other bank. 
I killed him on the spot, and while I was taking out the 



Zebulon M. Pike 221 

entrails another came up. I shot him also. This was 
my last ball, and then only could I kill! Left part of 
my clothes at this place to scare the wolves. Arrived at 
my camp at dusk, to the great joy of our men, who had 
been to our little garrison to inquire for me, and receiv- 
ing no intelligence, had concluded we were killed by 
the Indians, having heard them fire on the opposite 
bank. The same night we saw fires on the opposite 
shore in the prairie; this was likewise seen in the fort, 
when all the men moved into the works." 

It was now the middle of November, and the river 
was closing up. Pike was obliged to hunt practically 
all the time, and was impatient of the slavish life led 
by the hunter, and the necessity of working all the time 
to support his party. Under such conditions the pur- 
suit of game becomes work, and not play. 

After the winter had finally set in, Indians began to be 
seen; some of them Sioux — Yanktons, and Sissetons — 
and some Menominees. 

A considerable part of the month of December was 
spent at various camps along the Mississippi River, be- 
low the mouth of the Crow Wing River, and the time 
was devoted to killing game and making preparations 
for the northward journey. About the middle of the 
month Pike started with sleds, sometimes hauled by 
men across the prairies, and sometimes along the ice on 
the river, wherever it was heavy enough to bear the load. 
The way was hard, and sometimes only short trips could 
be made with the sleds. As there was little or no snow, 
the men were obliged to double up, hauling a sled for a 



222 Trails of the Pathfinders 

short distance, and then leaving it to go back and haul 
the next one along. One of the sleds broke through the 
ice, and everything it contained was w^etted, including 
a considerable portion of the powder. Pike found his 
various duties laborious, for he was at once "hunter, 
spy, guide, commanding officer, etc." 

In January he met a Mr. Grant, an English trader, 
by whom he was hospitably received and well treated. 
About the middle of the month, finding that his sleds 
were too heavy to be hauled through the snow, he 
manufactured toboggans, which would be more easily 
hauled, even though they carried smaller loads. 

On the first of February he reached Lake La Sang 
Sue, now known as Leech Lake. This Pike believed 
to be the main source of the Mississippi. The lake 
crossed, he stopped at a trading-post of the Northwest 
Fur Company, where his men arrived five days later. 
Here he hoisted the American flag in place of the Eng- 
lish flag which he had found still flying; and after a few 
days went north to Upper Red Cedar Lake, which we 
now know as Cass Lake, Minnesota. This was a 
country passed over in 1798 by David Thompson, a 
great explorer, whose journeyings, together with those 
of Alexander Henry, the younger, were edited by Dr. 
Elliott Coues. 

Pike was now in the country of the Chippewas, 
whom he knew by their other name, Sauteurs, and on 
July 16 held a council with them, notifying them that 
the country was no longer in the possession of the Brit- 
ish, advising them to make peace with the Sioux, and 



Zebulon M. Pike 223 

asking some of their chiefs to go with him to St. Louis, 
where they should see General Wilkinson. His talk 
with the Indians was pleasantly received, and they 
made no difficulty about giving up their flags and 
medals, which were to be replaced by flags and medals 
of the Americans. Two well-known young men of the 
Sauteurs, living hereabout, expressed their willingness 
to accompany the explorer to St. Louis, and a day or 
two later Pike struck out in a southerly and south- 
easterly direction, to return to his fort on the Missis- 
sippi. He reached that river about March i, and found 
all his people well. 

Pike was now prepared to start south as soon as the 
river broke up, and to report success in all directions; 
a success due entirely to his own astonishing energy and 
industry, for he alone had made the expedition what it 
was. Something of what he felt he expressed when he 
wrote : 

"Ascended the mountain which borders the prairie. 
On the point of it I found a stone on which the Indians 
had sharpened their knives, and a war-club half fin- 
ished. From this spot you may extend the eye over 
vast prairies with scarcely any interruption but clumps 
of trees, which at a distance appear like mountains, 
from two or three of which the smoke rising in the air 
denoted the habitation of the wandering savage, and 
too often marked them out as victims to their enemies, 
from whose cruelty I have had the pleasure in the 
course of the winter and through a wilderness of im- 
mense extent to relieve them, as peace has reigned 



224 Trails of the Pathfinders 

through my mediation from the prairie Des Chiens to 
the lower Red River. If a subaltern with but twenty 
men at so great a distance from the seat of his Govern- 
ment could effect so important a change in the minds 
of these savages, what might not a great and inde- 
pendent power effect, if, instead of blowing up the 
flames of discord, they exerted their influence in the 
sacred cause of peace ?" 

He was frequently seeing Indians, and he was treated 
with great respect and hospitality by all of them. He 
was especially impressed by his neighbors, the Menom- 
inees, in whom he recognized many good qualities. 

On the morning of April 7, 1806, the party started on 
the return journey, and made good time down the river, 
reaching the Falls of St. Anthony, where Minneapolis 
now stands, on the morning of April 10. Below here, 
on the following day, at the mouth of St. Peter's River, 
was found a camp of Sioux, including several bands, 
and Pike had a talk with them. The council-house was 
capable of containing 300 men, and there were forty 
chiefs present, and forty pipes set against the poles. 
At the council all these Sioux smoked the Chippewa 
pipes, excepting three, who were still mourning for their 
relations killed during the winter. Within the next 
two or three days he met important Sioux chiefs, Little 
Crow and Red Wing, who were extremely cordial, and 
emphatic in expressing their wish to carry out the in- 
structions which Pike had given them. 

From here down the river the journey was interrupted 
only by occasional talks with Indians, until Prairie Des 



Zebulon M. Pike 225 



Chiens was reached, where there were many white peo- 
ple, and Pike received the first news of the outside world 
he had had for many months. He saw here a great 
game of lacrosse on the prairie between Sioux on one 
side and Winnebagoes and Foxes on the other. Coun- 
cils were held here with various bands of Sioux, and 
with the Winnebagoes. On April 23 they once more 
started down the river, but were delayed by a head 
wind. Two days later Captain Many, of the United 
States Army, was met on his way up the river in search 
of some Osage prisoners among the Sacs and Foxes. 
At some of the Indian camps passed, all the people were 
drunk — sure sign of the proximity of the white men. 

This practically completes Pike's voyage, for he 
reached St. Louis April 30, after an absence of eight 
months and twenty-two days. 



CHAPTER XIV 

ZEBULON M. PIKE 

II 

ON his return to St. Louis, after nearly nine 
months of the hardest possible work in the 
North, Pike was allowed but a short rest. Two 
months and a half later he set out on his Western jour- 
ney, which was to last a year, and during which he was 
to meet with vicissitudes which no one could have fore- 
seen. It is not strange that he should have been 
chosen for the work of exploration in the South-west, 
which had for its object the investigation of the heads 
of the rivers flowing through the newly acquired Louisi- 
ana, making acquaintance with the Indians inhabiting 
the region, and putting an end to the constant wars 
between the diff^erent tribes. The good results achieved 
along the Mississippi had proved his especial fitness for 
similar work in other portions of the new domain of the 
United States, and were reason enough for giving Pike 
the command of this expedition. But it is altogether 
possible that General Wilkinson, then the commanding 
officer stationed at St. Louis, in charge of the whole 
Western country, may have had an ulterior object in 
sending Pike to investigate the Spanish boundaries of 

226 



Zebulon M. Pike 227 

the South-west. It had been more than suspected that 
in some way Wilkinson was mixed up with the Aaron 
Burr conspiracy. Whether he was so or not, the Span- 
ish authorities of Mexico beHeved that he was, and be- 
Heved that the expedition led by Pike, of which they 
were informed well in advance, was connected with this 
conspiracy, and had for its object the acquiring of in- 
formation detrimental to Spanish interests. 

At all events the Spaniards had made every prepara- 
tion to meet Pike and to capture his party, while Pike 
himself was intent only on carrying out his instructions 
to explore the heads of these Western rivers, and was 
ignorant of the existence of Burr's conspiracy. 

On July 15, 1806, Pike sailed from St. Louis up the 
Missouri River. With him were a lieutenant, a surgeon 
— Dr. Robinson — one sergeant, two corporals, sixteen 
privates, and one interpreter — twenty-one soldiers and 
two civilians — or twenty-three in all. Several of the 
party had been with Pike in the North. There were 
fifty-one Indians who had been redeemed from captiv- 
ity among the Pottawatomies, and were now to be re- 
turned to the Osage and Pawnee tribes, to which they 
belonged. Two days after leaving St. Louis the party 
stopped at Mr. Morrison's, and there met a young man 
named George Henry, who wanted to go West, and 
after a little time was engaged to accompany the 
party. He was a good French scholar and spoke some 
Spanish. 

Progress with the boats, which were rowed up the 
stream, was of course slow, and Lieutenant Wilkinson 



228 Trails of the Pathfinders 

and Dr. Robinson, with the Indians, marched across the 
country, while the boats toilfully pulled up the river. 
They killed some game, chiefly deer and turkeys. The 
Indians had a season of mourning each day about day- 
light, the crying continuing for about an hour. The 
interpreter told Pike that this was the custom, not only 
with those who had recently lost their relatives, but also 
with others who recalled to mind the loss of some friend, 
dead long since, and joined the other mourners purely 
from sympathy. They appeared extremely affected; 
tears ran down their cheeks, and they sobbed bitterly; 
but in a moment they would dry their cheeks and cease 
their cries. Their songs of grief ran: "My dear father 
exists no longer; have pity on me, O Great Spirit! You 
see I cry forever; dry my tears and give me comfort." 
The warriors' songs were: "Our enemies have slain my 
father [or mother]; he is lost to me and his family; I 
pray to you, O Master of Life, to preserve me until I 
avenge his death, and then do with me as thou wilt." 

On the 28th of July the party reached the mouth of 
the Osage River, and on the next day turned up the 
stream, heading for the Osage villages, where they were 
to leave a part of their Indians, and were to impress 
on the Osages the power and importance of the United 
States Government. Game was quite abundant, and 
deer and turkeys were killed daily; two, three, five, and 
on one day even nine deer having been taken, for the 
large body of men required considerable food. 

There was trouble with the Indians from time to time. 
Some became jealous of their wives, and quarrelled with 



Zebulon M. Pike 229 

other men, and on one occasion there was some pilfer- 
ing. But, on the whole, Pike managed the Indians ex- 
tremely well. On the 14th of August a canoe was met 
coming down the river, manned by engagees of Mr. 
Chouteau, of St. Louis, by whom Pike sent letters to 
General Wilkinson. Relatives of the returned Osage 
prisoners came out to receive them. The meeting was 
very tender and affectionate, "wives throwing them-- 
selves into the arms of their husbands, parents embrac- 
ing their children, and children their parents; brothers 
and sisters meeting, one from captivity, the other from 
the towns; they at the same time returning thanks to the 
good God for having brought them once more together; 
in short, the tout ensemble was such as to make polished 
society blush when compared with those savages, in 
whom the passions of the mind, whether joy, grief, fear, 
anger, or revenge, have their full scope." 

Sans Oreille (one of the Osages) made them a speech: 
"Osage, you now see your wives, your brothers, your 
daughters, your sons, redeemed from captivity. Who 
did this } Was it the Spaniards ^. No. The French '^. 
No. Had either of those people been governors of the 
country, your relatives might have rotted in captivity, 
and you never would have seen them; but Americans 
stretched forth their hands and they are returned to you! 
What can you do in return for all this goodness .? Noth- 
ing; all your lives would not suffice to repay their good- 
ness." This man had children in captivity, not one 
of whom the party had been able to obtain for him. 

In the Osage village Pike was well received, but a few 



230 Trails of the Pathfinders 

days in the town and its neighborhood showed him 
some of the uncertainties of attempting to deal with a 
strange people. He had great difficulty in purchasing 
horses for his intended trip to the Pawnees, and where 
he had secured horses, some of them were stolen from 
him. However, after considerable difficulty, he got 
started, taking with him a number of Osages, warriors 
and chiefs, whom he wished to have make peace with 
the Pawnees, and also some of the redeemed Pawnee 
captives. From the very start, however, the Osages 
were a trouble to him, for they were constantly leaving 
him to return to their village, urged to do so by dreams 
or by laziness, or perhaps by fear of what their reception 
might be among the Pawnees. From the Osage village 
Pike travelled nearly south along the Osage River for 
several days; and then turning west, crossed Grand 
River, a tributary of the Arkansas, and going nearly 
due west to the head of this stream, crossed over the 
divide to the Smoky Hill fork of the Kansas River. 
Along Grand River game was very abundant, and here 
we have a glimpse of a quality in Pike which we must 
admire. "On the march," he tells us, "we were con- 
tinually passing through large herds of buffalo, elk, and 
cabrie [antelope], and I have no doubt that one hunter 
could support two hundred men. I prevented the men 
shooting at the game, not merely because of the scarcity 
of ammunition, but, as I conceived, the laws of morality 
forbid it also." 

On September 22 they began to meet Pawnees; and 
two days later others joined them, who possessed mules, 



Zebulon M. Pike 231 

horses, bridles, and blankets, which they had obtained 
of the Spaniards. Only a few of these Pawnees wore 
breech cloths, most of them being clad only in buffalo 
robes. On September 25 Pike had come close to the 
Pawnee village, which was situated on the Republican 
fork of the Kansas River, quite a long way above the 
mouth of the Solomon. Preparations to receive them, 
and to smoke with the Osages, were made by the 
Pawnees. The visiting Indians sat down on the 
prairie and the whites were a short distance in ad- 
vance of them. The Pawnees came out from their 
village, halted about a mile from the strangers, and 
then, dividing into two troops, charged down upon 
them, singing their war song, shouting the war cry, 
rattling their lances and bows against their shields, and 
in all respects simulating the character of genuine war- 
fare. The two bodies of Pawnees passed around the 
strangers and halted, and the chief of the Pawnees ad- 
vanced to the centre of the circle and shook hands. 
One of the Osages offered the chief a pipe, and he 
smoked. The whole party then advanced to the village, 
and when near to it again halted. Again the Osages 
sat down in a row, facing the village, and now some of 
the Pawnees came to them with pipes and invited one 
and another to smoke; the Osages did so, and each 
received from the man whose pipe he smoked a stick, 
which represented a horse. These Pawnees no doubt 
belonged to the Republican Pawnees, or Kitkahahk 
tribe, the second in importance of the four Pawnee 
tribes. 



232 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Four days later a council was held at which not less 
than four hundred warriors were present. Pike's notes 
of this interesting occasion were seized by the Spanish 
authorities later, and he never recovered them. He 
gives, however, this interesting flag incident: "The 
Spaniards had left several of their flags in this village, 
one of which was unfurled at the chief's door the 
day of the grand council; and among various demands 
and charges I gave them was that the said flag should 
be delivered to me, and one of the United States' flags 
received and hoisted in its place. This, probably, was 
carrying the pride of nations a little too far, as there 
had so lately been a large force of Spanish cavalry at 
the village, which had made a great impression on 
the minds of the young men, as to their power, con- 
sequence, etc., which my appearance with twenty in- 
fantry was by no means calculated to remove. 

"After the chiefs had replied to various parts of my 
discourse, but were silent as to the flag, I again reiter- 
ated the demand for the flag, adding 'that it was impos- 
sible for the nation to have two fathers; that they must 
either be the children of the Spaniards or acknowledge 
their American father.' After a silence of some time an 
old man rose, went to the door, took down the Spanish 
flag, brought it and laid it at my feet; he then received 
the American flag, and elevated it on the staffs which had 
lately borne the standard of his Catholic Majesty. This 
gave great satisfaction to the Osage and Kans, both of 
whom decidedly avow themselves to be under American 
protection. Perceiving that every face in the council 



Zebulon M. Pike 233 



was clouded with sorrow, as if some great national 
calamity were about to befall them, I took up the con- 
tested colors, and told them 'that as they had shown 
themselves dutiful children in acknowledging their great 
American father, I did not wish to embarrass them with 
the Spaniards, for it was the wish of the Americans that 
their red brethren should remain peaceably around their 
own fires, and not embroil themselves in any disputes 
between the white people; and that for fear the Span- 
iards might return there in force again, I returned them 
their flag, but with an injunction that it should never 
be hoisted again during our stay.' At this there was 
a general shout of applause, and the charge was par- 
ticularly attended to." 

The raising of the American flag by Pike in the village 
of the Pawnee Republicans on September 29, 1806, 
marks perhaps the first formal display of that flag by 
a soldier in the territory west of the immediate banks 
of the Mississippi River. This has properly been re- 
garded as an occasion of very great importance and one 
well worthy of commemoration. The Historical Society 
of Kansas, on September 30, 1901, unveiled with appro- 
priate ceremonies a monument to Pike at Cortland, 
Kansas, a point which has been identified as the site 
of the ancient Kitkahahk village at which he stopped, 
when he held his council with the Indians, and took 
down the Spanish flag and raised that of his own country. 

For some days Pike remained with the Pawnees, and 
these must have been days of more or less anxiety. The 
Indians had no sentiments of attachment for either 



234 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Americans or Spaniards, but they had undoubtedly been 
much impressed by the greater power of the Spaniards, 
as evidenced by the expedition which had but just left 
them, and they were not without fear that wars might 
occur between the representatives of the different na- 
tions, from which wars they would gain nothing and 
might lose much. The Pawnee chief endeavored to 
turn Pike back, saying that he had persuaded the Span- 
iards to forego their intention of proceeding farther to 
the east, and that he had promised the Spaniards that 
he would turn back the Americans. He told Pike that 
he must give up his expedition and return, and that if 
he were unwilling to do this the Pawnees would oppose 
him by force of arms. Pike, of course, declined to turn 
back, and intimated that an effort to stop him would 
be resisted. 

For some days now he was trading with the Indians 
for horses, but they were unwilling to sell them, and 
some of those newly purchased disappeared. However, 
on the yth of October he marched from the village, mov- 
ing a little west of south. The lost horses had by this 
time been returned. On the second day out he was 
overtaken by about one-third of the Pawnees, who re- 
mained with them only a short time. A little later 
Pike's party discovered some elk, which they pursued, 
and these running back in sight of the Pawnees were 
chased by them. "Then, for the first time in my life," 
said Pike, *'I saw animals slaughtered by the true 
savages with their original weapons, bows and arrows; 
they buried the arrow up to the plume in the animal." 



Zebulon M. Pike 235 

They met Pawnees from time to time for a few days, 
and on the 15th Pike and Dr. Robinson left the party, 
and lost them, not finding them until the i8th. Their 
camp was on the Arkansas River, where Pike built 
boats, to send Lieutenant Wilkinson and some men 
down the river, and so back to the settlements. On 
the 28th Lieutenant Wilkinson, in a skin canoe, made 
of four buffalo and two elk hides, and one wooden 
canoe, proceeded down the river. The party con- 
sisted of Lieutenant Wilkinson, five white men, and 
two Osage Indians. 

From here for a long distance Pike's route lay up 
the Arkansas River. Soon they came into a country 
abounding in buffalo, antelope, and wild horses. The 
antelope were so curious that they cam^e up among the 
horses to satisfy their curiosity, and the m.en could not 
resist the temptation of killing two, although they had 
plenty of meat. At the report of the gun the game 
"appeared astonished, and stood still until we hallowed 
at them, to drive them away." Herds of horses were 
seen, which came up very close to the command. An 
effort was made to rope some of the wild horses, but as 
the animals ridden by the men were slow, and the 
ropers were without experience, the attempt was un- 
successful; and of this Pike says: "I have since laughed 
at our folly, for taking wild horses in that manner is 
scarcely ever attempted, even with the fleetest horses 
and most expert ropers." The method pursued by the 
Spanish in Texas to capture wild horses was not un- 
like the old Indian fashion of taking buffalo. "They 



236 Trails of the Pathfinders 

take a few fleet horses and proceed into the country 
where the wild horses are numerous. They then build 
a large strong inclosure, with a door which enters a 
smaller inclosure; from the entrance of the large pen 
they project wings out into the prairie a great distance, 
and then set up bushes, to induce the horses, when pur- 
sued, to enter into these wings. After these prepara- 
tions are made they keep a lookout for a small drove, 
for, if they unfortunately should start too large a one, 
they either burst open the pen or fill it up with dead 
bodies, and the others run over them and escape; in 
which case the party are obliged to leave the place, as 
the stench arising from the putrid carcasses would be 
insupportable; and, in addition to this, the pen would 
not receive others. Should they, however, succeed in 
driving in a few, say two or three hundred, they select 
the handsomest and youngest, noose them, take them 
into the small inclosures, and then turn out the re- 
mainder; after which, by starving, preventing them tak- 
ing any repose, and continually keeping them in motion, 
they make them gentle by degrees, and finally break 
them to submit to the saddle and bridle. For this busi- 
ness I presume there is no nation in the world superior 
to the Spaniards of Texas." 

As they proceeded westward they found the prairie 
covered with buffalo, most of them cows and calves. 
Pike dilates on their numbers, and speaks of the ex- 
cellence of the flesh of the buffalo, which he says was 
"equal to any meat I ever saw, and we feasted sumptu- 
ously on the choice morsels." From time to time they 



Zebulon M. Pike 237 

came upon the trail of the Spaniards, returning to their 
mountain homes, and counted the fires about which 
these people had encamped. Now their horses were 
beginning to grow poor and weak, owing to the scanty 
pasturage; and now, too, November 12, Pike passed 
beyond the borders of the present Kansas and into 
what is now the State of Colorado. 

On November 15, "at 2 o'clock in the afternoon I 
thought I could distinguish a mountain to our right, 
which appeared like a small blue cloud; viewed it with 
the spy-glass, and was still more confirmed in my con- 
jecture, yet only communicated it to Dr. Robinson, 
who was in front with me; but in half an hour they ap- 
peared in full view before us. When our small party 
arrived on the hill they with one accord gave three 
cheers to the Mexican mountains. Their appearance 
can easily be imagined by those who have crossed the 
Alleghanies; but their sides were whiter, as if covered 
with snow, or a white stone. Those were a spur of 
the grand western chain of mountains which divide the 
waters of the Pacific from those of the Atlantic Ocean; 
and the spur divides the waters which empty into the 
Bay of the Holy Spirit from those of the Mississippi, 
as the Alleghanies do those which discharge themselves 
into the latter river and the Atlantic. They appear to 
present a natural boundary between the province of 
Louisiana and New Mexico, and would be a defined 
and natural boundary." On the same day they came 
to the Purgatory River, or River of Souls. Here the 
Arkansas appeared to carry much more water than 
below, and was apparently navigable. 



CHAPTER XV 

ZEBULON M. PIKE 
III 

ON November 22, as Pike and Dr. Robinson, 
and Vasquez, the interpreter, were riding 
ahead of the command, they met a party of 
sixty Pawnees returning from an unsuccessful war 
party. Half of them were armed with guns, and about 
half with bows, arrows and lances. They met the white 
men in a very friendly manner, but crowded about them; 
and at the same time treated them in so boisterous and 
disrespectful, and yet good-natured a way, as to cause 
them some uneasiness. Pike prepared to smoke with 
them, and offered them some small presents, with which 
they were quite dissatisfied; so that for some time the 
pipes "lay unmoved, as if they were undetermined 
whether to treat us as friends or enemies; but after some 
time we were presented with a kettle of water, drank, 
smoked and ate together." The Pawnees treated the 
presents given them with more or less contempt, and 
some even threw them away. 

"We began to load our horses, when they encircled 
us and commenced stealing everything they could. 

238 



Zebulon M. Pike 239 

Finding it was difficult to preserve my pistols, I mounted 
my horse, when I found myself frequently surrounded ; 
during which some were endeavoring to steal the pis- 
tols. The doctor was equally engaged in another 
quarter, and all the soldiers in their positions, in taking 
things from them. One having stolen my tomahawk, 
I informed the chief; but he paid no respect, except to 
reply that 'they were pitiful.' Finding this, I deter- 
mined to protect ourselves, as far as was in my power, 
and the affair began to take a serious aspect. I ordered 
my men to take their arms and separate themselves 
from the savages; at the same time declaring to them 
that I would kill the first man who touched our baggage. 
On which they commenced fihng off immediately; we 
marched about the same time, and found they had 
made out to steal one sword, tomahawk, broad-ax, five 
canteens, and sundry other small articles. After leav- 
ing them, when I reflected on the subject, I felt myself 
sincerely mortified, that the smallness of my number 
oblio;ed me thus to submit to the insults of lawless ban- 
ditti, it being the first time a savage ever took anything 
from me with the least appearance of force." 

It was near the end of November. Provisions were 
scarce; but on the 26th, Pike killed a "new species of 
deer" — a blacktail, or mule deer. The real troubles of 
the expedition were beginning, for the weather was 
growing cold, snow fell, and the water was freezing. 
The men who had started from St. Louis in July, pre- 
pared for a summer excursion, had worn out their shoes 
and clothing, and were half naked, in winter, among 



240 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the high mountains of the Rockies. Some of them 
froze their feet. They made such foot gear as they 
could from the hide of the buffalo, but many had 
used up their blankets, by cutting them to pieces for 
socks, and had nothing with which to cover themselves 
at night, no matter how cold the weather, or how 
deep the snow. Pike worked backward and forward 
among the canyons, on streams at the head of the 
Arkansas, and passed over the divide between that 
river and the head waters of the South Platte, and then 
back on to the Arkansas, near what is now called the 
Royal Gorge. Here he came on the site of an immense 
Indian camp, occupied not long before, which had a 
large cross in the middle; and which, though he then 
did not know it, was a big camp of Kiowas and Com- 
anches, with whom had been a white man, James Purs- 
ley. The party was constantly suffering for food, and 
often went for days without eating, and were almost 
without protection from the weather. Pike never 
ceased his efforts to cross the mountains to the supposed 
head of the Red River (the Canadian), which he had 
been ordered to find. Deep though the snow might be, 
and bitter the cold, with his men and himself equally 
hungry and equally frozen, passing through a country 
almost impracticable for horses, where the animals 
themselves had to be dragged along, and often unloaded 
and hauled up steep mountain sides, he kept on. On 
some occasions the little party of sixteen were divided 
into eight different expeditions, struggling not along the 
trail, but to get over the mountains, on the one hand, 



Zebulon M. Pike 241 

and on the other, to kill something which might give 
food to the party. Their guns now had begun to fail 
them; a number burst; others were bent and broken by 
the rough usage. Even Pike, who scarcely ever per- 
mits a word of complaint to escape him, says, on Janu- 
ary 5, after breaking his gun: "This was my birthday, 
and most fervently did I hope never to pass another so 
miserably." 

Matters had reached such a point that it was useless 
to attempt to drag the horses any further. Pike de- 
termined to build a small block-house, and leave there 
a part of his baggage, the horses, and two men; and 
then, with the remainder of their possessions on their 
backs, to cross the mountains on foot, find the Red 
River, and send back a party to bring on the horses and 
baggage by some easy route. They started on January 
14, each carrying an average of seventy pounds, and 
marched nearly south, following up the stream now 
known as Grape Creek. They had not gone far before 
the men began to freeze their feet, and were unable to 
travel. They had little or no food, but, at last. Dr. 
Robinson, after two days' hunting, during which they 
met with constant misfortunes, managed to kill a buffalo, 
loads of which were brought back to camp. Leaving 
two of the disabled men behind, with as much pro- 
vision as possible, promising to send relief to them as 
soon as they could. Pike and the others pushed on, mak- 
ing their slow way through the deep snow; They were 
soon again without food; and again the doctor and Pike, 
who appear to have been by all odds the men of the 



242 Trails of the Pathfinders 

party, succeeded in killing a buffalo, and satisfying the 
hunger of the company. It was on this day, January 24, 
that Pike heard the first complaint. One of his men 
declared "that it was more than human nature could 
bear, to march three days without sustenance, through 
snows three feet deep, and carry a burden only fit for 
horses." This was very bitter to the leader, and he 
administered a rebuke, which, though severe, was so 
eminently just and sympathetic as to increase the de- 
votion which his men must have felt for such a leader. 

For a little time they had food, and the weather 
became more mild. Now turning to the right, they 
crossed through the mountains, and came within sight 
of a large river, flowing nearly north and south. This, 
although the explorer did not know it, was the Rio 
Grande del Norte. Travelling down toward this stream, 
they came to a large west branch; and here Pike deter- 
mined to build a fort, for a protection for a portion of 
his party, while the remainder should be sent back to 
bring on the men who had been left behind at different 
points. Deer were plenty, and it seemed to be a spot 
where Hfe could be supported. Pike laid out a plan 
for his block-house, which was on the edge of the river, 
and was surrounded by a moat, and a dirt rampart. 

From this point Dr. Robinson set out alone for 
Santa Fe. The purpose of his trip was to spy out the 
land, and to learn what he could with regard to the 
Spanish government, and the opportunities for trade 
there. In the year 1804, Mr. Morrison, a merchant of 
Kaskaskia, had sent across the plains a Creole of the 



Zebulon M. Pike 243 

country, one Baptiste La Lande, with goods which he 
was to trade at Santa Fe. La Lande had never re- 
turned, and it was beheved that he had remained in 
Santa Fe, and had appropriated to himself the property 
of his employer. When Pike was about to start on his 
westward expedition, Mr. Morrison made over to him 
his claim on La Lande, in the hope that some of his 
property might be recovered, and this claim assigned to 
Robinson was the pretext for his trip to Santa Fe. In 
other words: Robinson was, as Dr. Coues remarked, a 
spy. It is true that Spain and the United States were 
not then at war, but there was a more or less hostile 
feehng between the two governments; or, if not between 
the two governments, at least between the citizens of 
the two powers residing on the borders of the respec- 
tive territories. More than that, as already stated, the 
Aaron Burr conspiracy — with which Pike was wholly 
unacquainted — was known to the Spaniards, as was 
also Pike's starting for the west. The Spanish author- 
ities unquestionably connected the two things, and were 
disposed to look with great suspicion on any Americans 
who entered their territory. 

Dr. Robinson set out for Santa Fe on the 7th of 
February; and until the i6th Pike was occupied in 
hunting, building his block-house, reading, and study- 
ing. On the i6th, while hunting, he discovered two 
horsemen not far from him. These, when he attempted 
to retreat, pursued threateningly; but if he turned about 
to go toward them, they retired. As he was doubtful 
where he was, and uncertain if the territory was Span- 



244 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ish or American, he was unwilling to act on the aggres- 
sive; but finally he lured the horsemen so close to him 
that they could hardly get away, and after a little they 
explained their presence. It seemed that four days 
before Robinson had reached Santa Fe, and that the 
Governor had sent out these scouts to learn who the 
strangers were. The next day they departed for Santa 
Fe, which they said they would reach on the second day. 

Within the next two or three days all the men he 
had left behind save two — Dougherty and Sparks — had 
come in; and on February 19 Sergeant Meek, with 
Miller, was ordered to go back to the point where they 
had left the interpreter, Vasquez, with one man and the 
horses, to bring them on, and on his way to pick up 
Dougherty and Sparks, who, on account of their frozen 
feet, had been unable to walk. Pike pays touching 
tribute to the heroism of his men, saying: "I must here 
remark the effect of habit, discipline, and example, in 
two soldiers soliciting a command of more than one 
hundred and eighty miles, over two great ridges of 
mountains covered with snow, inhabited by bands of 
unknown savages in the interest of a nation with which 
we were not on the best understanding. To perform 
this journey, each had about ten pounds of venison. 
Only let me ask. What would our soldiers generally 
think on being ordered on such a tour thus equipped } 
Yet these men volunteered it with others, and were 
chosen, for which they thought themselves highly 
honored." 

On February 26 a detachment of Spaniards, con- 



Zebulon M. Pike 245 

sisting of two officers, with fifty dragoons and fifty 
mounted militia, reached the post. The sentry halted 
them at a distance of fifty yards, and Pike made prep- 
arations for their reception. He insisted that the 
Spanish troops should be left at some little distance 
from the fort, while he would meet the officers on the 
prairie. This was done, and then he invited the offi- 
cers to enter the fort, where he offered them his hos- 
pitality. It was then for the first time, Pike tells us, 
that he knew that the stream on which he was camped 
was not the Red River, meaning the Canadian, but was 
the Rio del Norte, which, though known by several 
other names, is what we now call the Rio Grande, and 
now forms the boundary line between Texas and Mex- 
ico. The officer in command stated that the Gover- 
nor of New Mexico had ordered him to offer Pike mules, 
horses, money, or whatever he might need to conduct 
him to the head of the Red River, and requested Pike to 
visit the Governor at Santa Fe. Pike at first declined 
to go without his whole command, but after a time was 
persuaded to go to Santa Fe, leaving two men in the post 
to meet the Sergeant and his party, and to convey to 
them his orders to come to Santa Fe. 

Naturally Pike did not wish to resist this invitation, 
or to be put in the position of committing hostilities on 
the foreign soil which he had invaded, since his orders 
did not commit him to any such course. Having made 
the error of entering the territory of another power, he 
thought it better to explain matters, rather than to com- 
mit an act which might involve his country in war. His 



246 Trails of the Pathfinders 

compliance with the request of the Spanish officer 
seemed to be received by them with great satisfaction; 
but, he says, "it appeared to be different with my men, 
who wished to have *a little dust,' as they expressed 
themselves, and were likewise fearful of treachery." 
After making the necessary preparations, and leaving 
orders for Sergeant Meek, Pike set out with the Span- 
iards to their camp on the Rio del Norte, and thence to 
Santa Fe. His passage through the country was an 
interesting one, and everywhere he was treated with the 
greatest kindness and hospitality by the people. At 
the pueblo of San Juan he met the man Baptiste La 
Lande, who professed to be an American, and en- 
deavored to learn from Pike something of his journey- 
ing and his purpose; but Pike, suspecting his designs, 
and after a little talk satisfying himself as to what they 
were, had the man shut in a room, and threatened him 
with death if he did not confess his perfidy. La Lande 
was greatly frightened, and declared that he had been 
ordered by the Government to find out everything pos- 
sible about Pike. 

Not only did the common people treat Pike's men 
with great kindness and hospitality, but the priests and 
those of the better class were courteous, cordial, and 
very much interested in the explorer. 

Santa Fe was reached March 3, It then had a sup- 
posed population of four thousand five hundred souls, 
most of whom, we may imagine, turned out to see the 
Americans. Pike's visit with the Governor was brief. 
He denied that Robinson was attached to his party, 



Zebulon M. Pike 



247 



excusing himself to himself on the ground that Robin- 
son was a volunteer, and could not properly be said to 
be one of his command. The Governor's reception 
was haughty and unfriendly. Pike bore himself with 
great dignity and wasted no words. At a later inter- 
view that day his papers were examined by the 
Governor, and after they had been read his manner 
changed, and he became much more cordial. Pike's 
trunk was locked and the key given to him, the trunk 
to be put in charge of an officer, who was instructed 
to escort him to Chihuahua, where he was to appear 
before the Commandant-General. That night he 
dined with the Governor, and received from him 
money for the expenses of himself and men as far as 
Chihuahua. 

The story of the march from Santa Fe to Chihuahua 
is interesting. Not far from Albuquerque they met 
Dr. Robinson. He was hardly recognized by Pike, for 
he was fat, sleek, and well looking, as different as pos- 
sible from that Robinson who had left the camp on the 
head waters of the Rio del Norte, "pale, emaciated, 
with uncombed locks and beard of eight months' 
growth, but with fire, unsubdued enterprise, and 
fortitude." 

The party crossed the Rio Grande at El Paso del 
Norte, then a great crossing-place for travellers north 
and south, and just over the river from our present 
Texas town of El Paso, situated on one of the great 
transcontinental railroads. 

Chihuahua was reached April 2, and Pike immedi- 



248 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ately had an interview with the Governor, who treated 
him with reasonable consideration. Almost the whole 
month of April was passed here, and during this time 
Pike was entertained by the people of the town, among 
whom, we may infer, he was regarded partly in the light 
of a hero, and partly in the light of a curiosity. On one 
occasion he was warned by the Governor that he spoke 
too freely with regard to religion, government, and 
other matters, to which he made a very free response, 
justifying himself for whatever he had done. Pike left 
Chihuahua April 28. He had become suspicious that 
there was danger that his private notes would be taken 
from him, so he took his small note-books and concealed 
them in the barrels of the guns of his men. It was now 
May, the weather growing very warm and dry; and 
sometimes as they marched they suffered from lack of 
water. Almost everywhere Pike continued to be re- 
ceived with great kindness by the people, both in the 
towns and by the rich haciendados, whose ranchos were 
passed in the country. He frequently met men of Eng- 
lish, Irish, and American birth, most of whom were kind 
to him; and, on one occasion, conversed gladly with an 
American whom he shortly afterward learned to be a 
deserter from the United States Army. This made him 
very indignant, and he sent word to the proprietor of 
the house where they were stopping that if this deserter 
appeared at another meal all the Americans would de- 
cHne to eat. His firmness brought an apology from the 
host, who took steps that the deserter should not again 
appear. 



Zebulon M. Pike 249 

The month of June was spent in journeying through 
Texas, eastward, to the borders of Louisiana. Pike 
speaks in the warmest terms of the two Governors, 
Cordero and Herrara, whom he met at San Antonio. 
They, and all the other Spaniards whom he met in 
Texas, were kind to him. On the first of July the 
party reached Natchitoches about four p. m. "Lan- 
guage cannot express the gayety of my heart when I 
once more beheld the standard of my country waved 
aloft. 'All hail!' cried I, 'the ever sacred name of 
country, in which is embraced that of kindred, friends, 
and every other tie which is dear to the soul of man!' " 

It was in August, 1806, while he was on his way west- 
ward, on this second expedition, that Pike was promoted 
to be a captain, and his promotion to a majority fol- 
lowed soon after his return. With successive promo- 
tions in 1809, he became lieutenant-colonel, and with 
the coming of the war of 18 12, Pike, now a colonel, was 
sent to guard the northern frontier. He was appointed 
to be brigadier general March 12, 1813. There was 
some fighting, but not much; but on April 27, 1813, 
while leading an attack on Fort York — now Toronto — 
he was killed by the explosion of the magazine, which 
the retreating enemy had fired. As an eye-witness 
said: The Governor's house, with some smaller build- 
ings, formed a square at the centre battery, and 
under it the grand magazine, containing a large 
quantity of powder, was situated. As there were only 
two or three guns at this battery, and it but a short 
distance from the garrison, the troops did not remain 



250 Trails of the Pathfinders 

in it, but retreated to the latter. When the Americans, 
commanded by one of their best generals, Pike, reached 
this small battery, instead of pressing forward, they 
halted, and the general sat down on one of the guns; 
a fatal proceeding, for, in a few minutes, his advance 
guard, consisting of about three hundred men and 
himself, were blown into the air by the explosion of 
the grand magazine. 

"... I heard the report, and felt a tremendous mo- 
tion in the earth, resembling the shock of an earthquake; 
and, looking toward the spot, I saw an immense cloud 
ascend into the air. I was not aware at the moment 
what it had been occasioned by, but it had an awfully 
grand effect; at first it was a great confused mass of 
smoke, timber, men, earth, etc., but as it arose, in a most 
majestic manner, it assumed the shape of a vast balloon. 
When the whole mass had ascended to a considerable 
height, and the force by which the timber, etc., were 
impelled upwards became spent, the latter fell from the 
cloud and spread over the surrounding plain." 

Struck by a fragment of rock. Pike was mortally 
wounded. As he was being taken on board the flag- 
ship "Madison," he heard the cheering on the shore. 
He asked what it meant, and was told that the Stars 
and Stripes were being hoisted over the captured fort. 
A little later the captured British flag was brought to 
him; he motioned to have it put under his head, and 
soon after this had been done he died. 

It is a melancholy commentary on the shortness of 
human fame that to-day the number of Americans who 



Zebulon M. Pike 251 

know who Pike was is very small. Few men have 
done more than he for their country. Few men in their 
time have attracted more attention. Pike's name has 
been given to mountains, counties, cities, villages, and 
even to islands, rivers, and bays; and while, as Dr. 
Coues suggests, it may well enough be that not all these 
are named after Pike the explorer, yet we may be sure 
that the enthusiasm of the people for Pike at the time 
of his death, and for some time afterward, led to the 
giving his name to many natural features of the land, 
and to many political divisions within the States. After 
all, Pike's most impressive and most enduring monu- 
ment must always remain the superb mountain which 
bears his name. If Pike did not discover this, "the 
grim sentinel of the Rockies," which towers fourteen 
thousand one hundred and forty seven feet above the 
sea, at least he was one of the first Americans to see it. 
He calls it, fitly, the Grand Peak. Nearly fourteen 
years later, during Major Long's expedition to the 
Rocky Mountains, it was named James Peak; but this 
name, though often mentioned in books, did not long 
endure, and the name Pike's Peak, first used some time 
during the decade between 1830 and 1840 — for ex- 
ample in Latrobe's "Rambler in America" — is now 
firmly established, and will ever remain the mountain's 
designation. 

The death of Pike at the early age of thirty-four, so 
soon after he had attained the summit of his ambition, 
the rank of general and at the moment when the force 
under his command had won a notable victory, seems 



252 Trails of the Pathfinders 

very pathetic; and yet, after all, may not this have been 
a happy fate ? For we cannot tell what sorrows and 
disappointments a longer life might have brought to 
him. It seems almost as though he may have had a 
premonition of the fate in store for him, since, in his 
last letter to his father, written just before he set out 
on his expedition, he writes as follows: 

" I embark to-morrow in the fleet at Sackett's Harbor, 
at the head of a column of one thousand five hundred 
choice troops, on a secret expedition. If success at- 
tends my steps, honor and glory await my name; if 
defeat, still shall it be said we died like brave men, 
and conferred honor, even in death, on the American 
name. 

"Should I be the happy mortal destined to turn the 
scale of war, will you not rejoice, O my father .'' May 
heaven be propitious, and smile on the cause of my 
country. But if we are destined to fall, may my fall be 
like Wolfe's — to sleep in the arms of victory." 

It was so that Pike fell asleep. 



CHAPTER XVI 
ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) 



AMONG the northmen who overran the country 
long known as the Hudson's Bay Territory, Alex- 
ander Henry, the younger, was a commanding 
figure. He was a nephew of that other Alexander 
Henry whose adventures have been described earlier 
in this book. To Alexander Henry, the younger, we 
owe the most curious and complete record ever printed 
of the daily life of the fur trader in the north. 

Alexander Henry, the younger, was a diarist; he kept 
a journal in which he set down, in the most matter-of- 
fact way, everything that happened to him, and, as has 
been said by Dr. Coues, "it mirrors life in a way Mr. 
Samuel Pepys might envy could he compare his in- 
imitable diary with this curious companion piece of 
causerie, and perceive that he who goes over the sea 
may change his sky, but not his mind." 

The wonderful journal of Henry's slept for nearly a 
century. Where the original may be we do not know, 
but a copy was made by George Coventry about the 
year 1824, and this copy about seventy years later came 

253 



254 Trails of the Pathfinders 

under the notice of Dr. Elliott Coues, whose studies 
of the old West, have furnished so great a mass of 
material from which the student of history may glean 
information. 

The diary covers a period of about fifteen years, from 
1799 to 1 8 14, during which time Henry travelled from 
Lake Superior to the Pacific. He lived in and travelled 
through, at various times, the Canadian Provinces of 
Ontario, Manitoba, Assiniboia, Keewatin, Saskatche- 
wan, Alberta, and British Columbia; while in the 
United States his travels were through Wisconsin, Min- 
nesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Washing- 
ton. In these long journeys he met many different 
tribes of Indians, and saw much of the Chippewas, the 
three tribes of the Blackfeet, the Crees, Assiniboines, 
Sioux, Sarcees, and other northern tribes, while in his 
southern journeyings he reached the Mandans, the 
Minitari, the Rees, and even the Cheyennes, south of 
the Missouri River, and on the west coast saw many 
tribes of the Columbia. 

The journal begins in the autumn of 1799, when he 
was camped on the White Earth River, near the foot 
of what is now known as Riding Mountain, in Mani- 
toba, a little west of Portage La Prairie. Here he had 
stopped after his journey from Montreal, to trade with 
the Indians the liquor, blankets, strouding, and various 
trinkets the Indians liked. He made that fall a clear 
profit of seven hundred pounds. This was his first 
trial in the Northwest. 

In the summer of 1800 Henry was on his way west- 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 255 

ward, with a brigade of canoes, each of which carried 
twenty-eight pieces of goods, ten of which were kegs 
of rum of nine gallons each; loads which sunk the 
canoes to the gunwales. He was proceeding by the 
Grande Portage to Lake Winnipeg, over the road which, 
even then, was being travelled by many fur traders. 
Wherever he found Indians, they were usually drunk, 
and when drunk always troublesome. They crossed 
the Lake of the Woods, and ran down the river Winni- 
pic. At Portage de Lisle one of the canoes, to avoid 
the trouble of making this portage, passed down near 
the north shore with a full load. "She had not gone 
many yards when, by some mismanagement of the fore- 
man, the current bore down her bow full upon the shore 
against a rock, upon which the fellow, taking advantage 
of his situation, jumped, while the current whirled the 
canoe around. The steersman, finding himself within 
reach of the shore, jumped upon the rock, with one of 
the midmen; the other midman, not being sufficiently 
active, remained in the canoe, which was instantly 
carried out and lost to view among the high waves. 
At length she appeared, and stood perpendicularly for 
a moment, when she sank down again, and I then per- 
ceived the man rising upon a bale of drygoods in the 
midst of the waves. We made every exertion to get 
near him, and did not cease calling out to him to take 
courage, and not let go his hold; but alas! he sank 
under a heavy swell, and when the bale arose the man 
appeared no more. At this time we were only a few 
yards from him; but while we were eagerly looking out 



256 Trails of the Pathfinders 

for him, poor fellow, the whirlpool caught my canoe, 
and before we could get away she was half-full of water. 
We then made all haste to get ashore, and go in search 
of the property. The canoe we found flat upon the 
water, broken in many places. However, we hauled 
her ashore, and afterwards collected as many pieces 
as we could find. The men had landed a few packages 
above the rapid, otherwise our loss would have been 
still greater." 

On August 16 they entered Lake Winnipeg, and were 
almost wrecked by a storm, the wind blowing violently 
over a shoal flat, and raising a tumbling sea. Wild-fowl 
were plenty; so were also Rocky Mountain locusts, 
which Henry said were thrown up on the beach to a 
depth of six to nine inches. He shot a white pelican, 
of which many were seen. From here Henry went up 
the Red River to establish a trading-fort, and on the way 
up he divided his goods, one-half of which were to be 
sent to Portage La Prairie on the Assiniboine River. 
The Indians here were chiefly canoe and foot people, 
and had few horses. Pigeons were very numerous, as 
were also fish, and the Indians had some dried buffalo 
meat, which was purchased from them. Fruit v/as 
abundant along the bank; plums of three different sorts, 
pembinas, and grapes. 

A number of Indians had joined him, all of whom 
wanted liquor and supplies. He gave them more or less 
hquor, with the result that most of them were drunk 
much of the time, and showed no disposition either to 
hunt or to trap. As they proceeded up Red River, they 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 257 

approached the country ranged over by the Sioux, be- 
tween whom and the Ojibwas there was everlasting war. 
The Indians were therefore in a continual state of alarm, 
and every time a shot was heard they thought that the 
enemy were about to attack them. They were now 
close to the country of the buffalo, and the Indians 
were bringing in fresh meat. Henry speaks of the 
abundance of these animals at his camp of August 26, 
where, he says, "The ravages of the buffaloes at this 
place are astonishing to a person unaccustomed to these 
meadows. The beach, once soft black mud, into which 
a man would sink knee-deep, is now made hard as 
pavement by the numerous herds coming to drink. 
The willows are entirely trampled and torn to pieces; 
even the bark of the smaller trees is rubbed off in many 
places. The grass on the first bank of the river is en- 
tirely worn away. Numerous paths, some of which are 
a foot deep in the hard turf, come from the plains to the 
brink of the river, and vast quantities of dung gives 
this place the appearance of a cattle yard. We have 
reached the commencement of the great plains of Red 
River, where the eye is lost in one continuous level 
westward. Not a tree or a rising ground interrupts the 
view." Here he had his first experience in running buf- 
falo, and merely for the amusement of it killed not a few. 
The Indians continued drinking and fighting among 
themselves. No one as yet had been killed, but more 
than one had been severely injured. Now, however, 
they had used up all their liquor, and Henry refused to 
give them any more; so that while many continued to 



258 Trails of the Pathfinders 

loaf about and beg for drink, some went hunting. Keep- 
ing on up the Red River, he pushed on southward, 
being anxious to reach a country where the beaver 
seemed to be plenty. Game was very abundant — 
buffalo, elk and bears. "Whilst we were arranging 
camp I saw a bear on the east side of the river, a little 
above us, coming down to drink. I crossed over and 
followed him; he instantly stopped within a few paces, 
and ran up a large oak. I shot him between the shoul- 
ders, and he fell to the ground like a rock, but in a 
moment was scampering away as fast as he could. I 
traced him by the blood, and soon found him sitting 
under a brush heap, grumbling and licking his wounds. 
A second shot dispatched him. By the hideous scream 
he uttered when he fell from the tree, I imagined he was 
coming at me, and was waiting for him with my second 
barrel cocked, when he ran off. I went for my two 
men, and it was hard work for us three to drag him to 
the canoe; he was very fat. I found that my first ball 
had gone through his heart. I was surprised that he 
should have been so active after a wound of that kind." 
Early in September, Henry, having passed up Red 
River as far as the mouth of Park River, decided to 
build there, and began the work of cutting house logs 
and erecting his stockades. Game was astonishingly 
abundant, bears being so plenty that they were killed 
almost daily. Three men came in with twelve bears; a 
hunter returned with four bears, and so on. Now that 
they were settled, Henry began to give out to the Ind- 
ians their debts; by which is meant that he furnished 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 259 

them the articles that they needed for hunting and for 
their Hfe during the winter, charging them with the 
articles, which were to be paid for by skins — that is, 
the value of a beaver skin. He prepared a seat in 
a tall oak, which he used as a lookout station, and from 
which he had an extensive view. Every morning he 
used to climb to the top of this oak and look over the 
country, not only to see where the game was, but also 
to see if people were moving about. After the stockade 
had been finished, the houses were built, and then came 
the task of preparing food for the winter. Meantime, 
the Indians had persuaded Henry again to give them 
liquor, and they were once more drunk and quarrelling. 
Happily, when fighting, they did not use their guns or 
bows, but only their knives; and so, although men and 
women were frequently severely stabbed and cut, there 
were no immediate fatalities. 

Henry was a good deal of a hunter, and much of his 
journal is given up to accounts of what he killed. Ind- 
ian alarms were as frequent as ever, but none of them 
amounted to anything, being causeless panics. In Oc- 
tober Henry made a journey down the river, to look 
up some of the people that he had sent off to establish 
small trading-posts. On his return, about the middle 
of October, he found that his hunter had killed a large 
grizzly bear, about a mile from the fort, and mentions 
that these bears are not numerous along Red River, 
but are more abundant in the Hair Hills. This is 
one of the most eastern records for the grizzly bear, 
although Long — Voyages and Travels, London, 1791 



26o Trails of the Pathfinders 

— speaks as if they were sometimes found a Httle further 
eastward, even east of the west end of Lake Superior. 

A Httle later Henry, with one of his hunters and an- 
other man, set off in search of the Red Lake Indians, 
whom he wished to inform that he had established a 
trading-post here. The journey was long, and much 
of it through thick woods and underbrush, and it almost 
proved fruitless. However, he at length came across 
a young Indian, who was very much frightened at seeing 
them, but finally realizing that they were friends, talked 
freely to them. The Indian reported that his people 
were at Red Lake waiting for traders, and Henry tried 
to persuade him to bring them into his fort. Henry 
then returned to his post. 

Winter was now approaching. The Indians were 
making the mats with which they covered their huts 
in winter, while many of the men were preparing to go 
to war. An interesting note on wolves appears here, 
under date of Sunday, November 2: "Last night the 
wolves were very troublesome; they kept up a terrible 
howling about the fort, and even attempted to enter 
Maymiutch's hut. A large white one came boldly into 
the door, and was advancing toward a young child, 
when he was shot dead. Some of them are very auda- 
cious. I have known them to follow people for several 
days, attempt to seize a person or a dog, and to be 
kept off only by firearms. It does not appear that 
hunger makes them so voracious, as they have been 
known to pass carcasses of animals which they might 
have eaten to their fill, but they would not touch flesh. 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 261 

their object seeming to be that of biting. The Canad- 
ians swear that these are mad wolves, and are much 
afraid of them." 

Another note of interest to the zoologist is this: "We 
saw a great herd of cows going at full speed southward, 
but on coming to our track, which goes to Salt Lake, 
they began to smell the ground, and as suddenly as if 
they had been fired at, turned toward the mountain. 
It is surprising how sagacious these animals are. When 
in the least alarmed, they will smell the track of even a 
single person in the grass, and run away in the contrary 
direction, I have seen large herds walking very slowly 
to pasture, and feeding as they went, come to a place 
where some persons had passed on foot, when they 
would instantly stop, smell the ground, draw back a 
few paces, bellow, and tear up the earth with their 
horns. Sometimes the whole herd would range along 
the road, keeping up a terrible noise, until one of them 
was hardy enough to jump over, when they would all 
follow, and run some distance." On November 8, 
with an Indian, Henry started in search of Indians 
about Grand Forks. Although the weather had been 
cold and snowy, it had now turned warm again, and 
they had much trouble in crossing streams and sloughs. 
They went south, to what Henry's Indian told him 
was the border of the Sioux country, and old camping- 
grounds were pointed out, which the Indian said were 
Sioux. Beaver appeared to be very numerous, but 
they killed nothing, making no fire, and firing no guns, 
and keeping their horses always close to them. 



262 Trails of the Pathfinders 

In describing the country passed over, Henry speaks 
of the Schian River, a tributary of the Red River, which 
flows into it about ten miles north of Fargo. This, he 
says, "takes its name from a formerly numerous tribe 
of Indians who inhabited its upper part. They were a 
neutral tribe between the Sioux and Saulteurs for many 
years, but the latter, who are of a jealous disposition, 
suspected that they favored the Sioux. A very large 
party having once been unsuccessful in discovering 
their enemies, on their return wreaked their vengeance 
on those people, destroying their village, and murdering 
most of them. This happened about sixty years ago, 
when the Saulteurs were at war with their natural 
enemies, the Sioux, of the plains, who are the only in- 
habitants of St. Peter's River. The Schians, having 
been nearly exterminated, abandoned their old ter- 
ritory, and fled southward across the Missouri, where 
they are now a wandering tribe." 

This story agrees very well with the traditions related 
by the Cheyennes to-day, except that the modern stories 
put back these wars with the Saulteurs much further 
than 1740. On November 13 Henry reached the post 
again, having failed to find any of the people that he 
looked for. Moreover, when he got here he received a 
messenger from Langlois, one of his clerks at a trading- 
post at the Panbian (Pembina) Mountains, reporting 
that a number of more or less turbulent Crees and 
Assiniboines were gathering there, and that Henry's 
presence was needed to quiet them. Two days later 
he set off", stopping at Bois Perce, where "I remained 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 263 

about an hour with the worthless vagabonds, who do 
nothing but play at the game of platter. Nothing is 
heard but the noise of the dish, and children bawling 
from hunger; their scoundrelly fathers are deaf to theii 
cries until necessity obliges them to kill a bull for their 
sustenance." On his arrival at the post, he found all 
his people well, and the trouble apparently over. 

The weather was now very cold. Swans were passing 
south in astonishing numbers. Now the men took no 
more raccoons with their traps, for these animals had 
begun to hibernate in the hollow trees, where they 
would remain like the bears until spring, without any 
sustenance. 

Some time before, an Indian named Crooked Legs, 
while drunk, had very severely stabbed his young wife, 
who now, however, had perfectly recovered. At a drink- 
ing-match, held at the post, just after Henry's return, this 
woman, in revenge, gave her old husband a cruel beat- 
ing with a stick, and afterward burned him shockingly 
with a brand snatched from the fire. 

Rum was constantly desired by the Indians, and was 
begged for on every pretext. If a woman's husband 
died, or a man's wife, they came to Henry to beg, or 
buy, rum to cheer their hearts in their sorrow. A 
curious trapping incident is reported November 28. 
*'La Rocque, Sr., came in with his traps, with a skunk, 
a badger, and a large white wolf, all three caught in 
the same trap at once, as he said. This was thought 
extraordinary — indeed a falsehood — until he explained 
the affair. His trap was made in a hollow stump, in 



264 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the center of which there was a deep hole in the ground. 
He found the wolf, just caught, and still alive. He 
despatched him, and, on taking him out, noticed some- 
thing stirring and making a noise in the hole in the 
ground. Upon looking in he perceived the badger, 
which he killed with a stick, and upon pulling him out, 
smelt the horrid stench of the skunk, which was in one 
corner of the hole. He soon despatched him also. 
From this the Indians all predicted some great mis- 
fortune, either to the person to whom the traps be- 
longed, or to our fort." 

Two days later some of the men went raccoon hunt- 
ing, the weather being warm. **They returned in the 
evening with seven, which they had found in one hollow 
tree. The size of this tree was enormous, having a 
hollow six feet in diameter, the rim or shell being two 
feet thick, including the bark. Raccoon hunting is 
common here in the winter season. The hunter exam- 
ines every hollow tree met with, and when he sees the 
fresh marks of the claws, he makes a hole with an ax, 
and then opens the hollow place, in which he lights a 
fire, to find out if there be any raccoons within, as they 
often climb trees in the autumn, and, not finding them 
proper for the purpose, leave them, and seek others. 
But if they be within, the smoke obliges them to ascend 
and put their heads out of the hole they enter. On 
observing this, the ax is applied to the tree; with the 
assistance of the fire it is soon down, and the hunter 
stands ready to despatch the animals while they 
are stunned by the fall. But sometimes they are so 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 265 

obstinate as to remain at the bottom of the hole until 
they are suflFocated or roasted to death. The bears, 
both grizzly and common black, which reside on Red 
River, take to hollow trees also, and are hunted by the 
Indians in the same manner as raccoons. But the bears 
in the Hair Hills and other places never take to the 
trees for their winter quarters; they reside in holes in 
the ground, in the most intricate thicket they can find, 
generally under the roots of trees that have been torn up 
by the wind, or have otherwise fallen. These are more 
difficult to find, requiring good dogs that are naturally 
given to hunt bears. The reason why the bears differ 
so widely in the choice of their winter habitations is 
obvious. The low lands along the river, where the 
woods principally grow, are every spring subject to 
overflow, when the ice breaks up. The mud carried 
down with the current and left on the banks, makes 
their dens uncomfortable. On the Hair Hills and other 
high lands, where the ground is free from inundation, 
the soft and sandy soil is not so cold as the stiff black 
mud on the banks of the river, which appears to be 
made ground. Frequently, on digging holes in winter, 
we found the frost had penetrated the ground nearly 
four feet, like one solid body of ice, while in high, dry, 
sandy soil it seldom exceeds one foot in depth." 

Winter had now set in, as well by the calendar as by 
temperature. It was ushered in by a great prairie fire, 
which seemed likely to burn over the whole country. 
At first it was supposed that the Sioux had fired the 
prairie, but later it appeared that the Crees had done it 



266 Trails of the Pathfinders 

by accident. These Crees reported that they had seen 
a calf as white as snow in a herd of buffalo; and Henry 
mentions how greatly white buffalo are esteemed among 
the nations of the Missouri, but that they are not val- 
ued by the Crees and Assiniboines, except to trade to 
other tribes. Occasionally buffalo are seen that are 
dirty gray, but these are very rare. Christmas and 
New Year passed, these holidays being celebrated by 
drinking, so that for New Year's Day Henry says: "By 
sunrise every soul of them was raving drunk — even the 
children." Buffalo were now seen in great abundance, 
and came within gun-shot of the fort. A day or two 
later it was necessary to go out only a short distance 
from the fort to kill buffalo, but the cold was so intense 
that it was impossible to cut up those killed. On Jan- 
uary 2 there arrived at the fort, Berdash, a man who, 
as used to be not very uncommon, wore the dress and 
busied himself with the occupations properly belong- 
ing to women. He was a swift runner, and was con- 
sidered the fleetest man among the Saulteurs. "Both 
his speed and his courage were tested some years ago 
on the Schian River, where Monsieur Reaume at- 
tempted to make peace between the two nations, and 
Berdash accompanied a party of Saulteurs to the Sioux 
camp. They at first appeared reconciled to each 
other, at the intercession of the whites, but on the 
return of the Saulteurs, the Sioux pursued them. Both 
parties were on foot, and the Sioux had the name 
of being extraordinarily swift. The Saulteurs impru- 
dently dispersed in the plains, and several of them were 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 267 



killed, but the party with Berdash escaped without any 
accident, in the following manner: One of them had got 
from the Sioux a bow, but only a few arrows. On 
starting and finding themselves pursued, they ran a 
considerable distance, until they perceived the Sioux 
were gaining fast upon them, when Berdash took the 
bow and arrows from his comrades, and told them to 
run as fast as possible, without minding him, as he 
feared no danger. He then faced the enemy, and began 
to let fly his arrows. This checked their course, and 
they returned the compliment with interest, but it was 
so far off that only a chance arrow could have hurt him, 
as they had nearly spent their strength when they fell 
near him. His own arrows were soon expended, but 
he lost no time in gathering up those that fell near him, 
and thus he had a continual supply. Seeing his friends 
some distance off^, and the Sioux moving to surround 
him, he turned and ran full speed to join his comrades, 
the Sioux after him. When the latter approached too 
near, Berdash again stopped and faced them, with his 
bow and arrows, and kept them at bay. Thus did he 
continue to maneuver until they reached a spot of 
strong wood, which the Sioux dared not enter. Some 
of the Saulteurs who were present have often recounted 
the affair to me. It seemed the Sioux from the first were 
inclined to treachery, being very numerous and the 
others but few. The Saulteurs were well provided with 
guns and ammunition, but on the first meeting were 
surrounded, and the guns taken away from them, in 
return for which the Sioux gave them bows and arrows; 



268 Trails of the Pathfinders 

but in a manner to be of little use, giving one a bow 
and no arrows, another a quiver of arrows, but no 
bow." 

On January 14 he was awakened by the bellowing of 
buffalo, and found the plains black, and apparently in 
motion. An enormous herd of buffalo surrounded the 
fort, and were moving northward, extending south as 
far as the eye could see. "I had seen almost incredible 
numbers of buffalo in the fall, but nothing in com- 
parison to what I now beheld. The ground was covered 
at every point of the compass as far as the eye could 
reach, and every animal was in motion. All hands 
soon attacked them with a tremendous running fire, 
which put them to a quicker pace, but had no effect in 
altering their course. The first roads beaten in the 
snow were followed by those in the rear. They passed 
in full speed, until about nine o'clock, when their num- 
bers decreased, and they kept further off in the plains. 
There was about fifteen inches of snow on a level, in 
some places drifted in great banks. Notwithstanding 
the buffalo were so numerous, and twelve guns were 
employed, we killed only three cows and one old 
bull, but must have wounded a great number." The 
next day the plains were still covered with buffalo, 
moving northward; and this continued for a day or two. 
The stock of winter provisions was now all laid in — an 
abundance of good, fat buffalo meat. In February the 
buffalo began to get poor, as they always do at that 
time, and toward the end of the month some of the men 
caught a cow on the ice of the river, the dogs having 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 269 

surrounded her, and the men entangHng her legs in a 
hne, so that she fell on her side; they then dragged her, 
still alive, to the fort, when she jumped to her feet and 
ran to attack the dogs. Two men mounted on her back, 
but she was as active with this load as before, jumping 
and kicking at the dogs in most agile fashion. 

On February 28 an Indian brought in a spring calf, 
which he had found dead, an unusually early birth. 
The Indians declared that this meant an early spring. 

The first outarde — Canada goose — was seen March 12, 
and on the same day a swan. On this day, too, it was 
noted that the sap of the box-elder began to run; this 
yields a fine white sugar, but not so sweet as that from 
the real sugar maple {Acer). He notes that bittersweet 
is abundant along the Red River, and that the Indians 
eat it in time of famine. 

Now the river, on account of melting snow, began to 
rise, and to lift up the ice. Henry began to get out his 
canoes and mend them up for the summer use. Wild- 
fowl made their appearance in great numbers, and on 
the 23rd young calves were seen by the men. And now, 
the ice of the river coming down, carried with it great 
numbers of dead buffalo from above, which had been 
drowned in crossing the river while the ice was weak. 
Their numbers were astonishing. Often they were 
drifted to the shore, where the women cut up some of 
the fattest for their own use, the flesh seeming to be 
fresh and good. On the 7th of April one of his men 
brought in to Henry three wolves born this spring; 
another had brought in six, which he had found in one 



270 Trails of the Pathfinders 

hole, and which were now very tame. It was proposed 
to keep them for sledge dogs in winter. 

A httle later the odor of the decaying buffalo lying 
there along the river was terrible. In fact, on his 
journey down the river with his goods, which were now 
to be despatched to Montreal, the stench of the drowned 
buffalo was such that Henry could not eat his supper. 

At last he despatched his goods, and about the first 
of June left for the Grand Portage. The proceeds of 
the winter's trade amounted to nearly two thousand 
pounds, Halifax currency. 




TWO MEN MOUXTi:i) OX HER BACK, BL'T SHE WAS AS \CTI\E 
WITH THIS LOAD AS BEFORE. 



CHAPTER XVII 
ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) 

II 

IN August, 1 80 1, Henry was on his way to a new 
post on the Pembina, the one which Langlois 
had established the year before. He intended 
to estabhsh also a post at Grandes Fourches, the site 
of the present town of Grand Forks, North Dakota. 
This business, and his travels to other subsidiary trad- 
ing-posts that he built at various points, occupied the 
autumn. Game was abundant, and so were fish. The 
Hudson's Bay Company, the opposition, were not far 
off, and there was some intercourse between the men 
of the two companies. On March 14, during a drinking- 
match, occured one of the fights among the Indians 
which were so common in those days of abundant liquor. 
"Gros Bras, in a fit of jealousy, stabbed Auposoi to 
death with a hand-dague; the first stroke opened his 
left side, the second his belly, and the third his breast. 
He never stirred, although he had a knife in his belt, 
and died instantly. Soon after this, Auposoi's brother 
a boy about ten years of age, took the deceased's gun 
loaded it with two balls, and approached Gros Bras' 
tent. Putting the muzzle of the gun through the door, 

271 



272 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the boy fired the two balls into his breast, and killed 
him dead, just as he was reproachmg his wife for her 
affection for Auposoi, and boasting of the vengeance 
he had taken. The Httle fellow ran into the woods and 
hid. Little Shell found the old woman, Auposoi's 
mother, in her tent; he instantly stabbed her. Onda- 
inoiache then came in, took the knife, and gave her a 
second stab. Little Shell, in his turn, taking the knife, 
gave a third blow. In this manner did these two rascals 
continue to murder the old woman as long as there was 
any Hfe in her. The boy escaped into Langlois' house, 
and was kept hid until they were all sober." 

March 15, a swan, a turkey-buzzard, and a hawk, the 
first spring birds, were seen; and by the middle of April 
wild-fowl were plenty, and calves were becoming numer- 
ous. Passenger pigeons were passing north, and toward 
the end of the month some Indians came in with thirty- 
six whole beaver in a skin canoe. In May came the 
news of a Sioux attack on the Saulteurs, in which seven 
of the latter were killed. Henry planted his garden, 
and soon after made ready for his departure to join the 
brigade. 

The next September he was back again at Panbian 
River, trading with the Indians, and, of course, handing 
out rum to them. His entry for February 15 contains a 
small temperance lecture which represented what he 
sometimes preached, but never practised. As he says: 
"The Indians totally neglected their ancient customs; 
and to what can this degeneration be ascribed but to 
their intercourse with us, particularly as they are so 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 273 

unfortunate as to have a continual succession of oppo- 
sition parties to teach them roguery, and to destroy 
both mind and body with that pernicious article rum ? 
What a different set of people they would be were there 
not a drop of liquor in the country. If a murder is 
committed among the Saulteurs, it is due to a drinking 
match. You may truly say that liquor is the root of 
all evil in the West." 

Spring came on with the usual signs. The women 
were making sugar at the last of March (1803), and it 
was noted that spring that very few buffalo drifted 
down the river. The plains of the Red River were 
covered with water from the sudden melting of the snow, 
and the men suffered much, for they were continually 
on the march, looking up Indians along every stream. 
The water was commonly knee-deep, and in some places 
much deeper, and was usually covered with ice in the 
morning, making the walking tiresome, and often 
dangerous. Some of the best men, Henry says, lose the 
use of their legs while still in the prime of life. The 
Indians were now bringing in the proceeds of their 
spring hunt, and exchanging it for rum. When the 
time came around, Henry interrupted his hunting and 
his trading to plant his garden, sowing potatoes, cabbage, 
and many root crops. With the end of May came the 
mosquitoes, a terrible pest. Among the articles traded 
for was maple sugar, an important article of food in that 
country. As usual, about midsummer, Henry started 
down the river with his furs, and reached Fort William 
July 3- 



274 Trails of the Pathfinders 

On the 29th of the same month he started on his 
return journey, with a brigade of eight canoes; and about 
two months later, September 20, found himself at the 
present Winnipeg, and soon afterward at the old post 
on the Panbian River. 

Horses had now begun to be used in the trade at this 
point, and Henry grumbles about them in a long entry, 
which is worth reproducing: "It is true they are useful 
animals, but if there were not one in all the Northwest 
we should have less trouble and expense. Our men 
would neither be so burdened with families, nor so 
indolent and insolent as they are, and the natives in 
general would be more honest and industrious. Let 
an impartial eye look into the affair, to discover whence 
originates the unbounded extravagance of our meadow 
gentry, both white and native, and horses will be found 
one of the principal causes. Let us view the bustle 
and noise which attended the transportation of five 
pieces of goods to a place where the houses were built 
in 1801-02. The men were up at break of day, and 
their horses tackled long before sunrise; but they were 
not ready to move before ten o'clock, when I had the 
curiosity to climb on top of my house to watch their 
motions, and observe their order of march. 

"Antoine Payet, guide and second in command, leads 
the van with a cart drawn by two horses, and loaded 
with private baggage, cassetetes, bags, kettles, and mash- 
queminctes. Madame Payet follows the cart, with a 
child a year old on her back, very merry. Charles 
Bottineau, with two horses and a cart, loaded with i^ 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 275 

packs, his own baggage, and two young children, with 
kettles and other trash hanging on to it. Madame Bot- 
tineau, with a squalling infant on her back, scolding and 
tossing it about. Joseph Dubord goes on foot, with his 
long pipestem and calumet in his hand. Madame 
Dubord follows on foot, carryin'g his tobacco pouch with 
a broad bead tail. Antoine Thellier, with a cart and two 
horses, loaded with i| packs of goods, and Dubois' bag- 
gage. Antoine La Pointe, with another cart and horses, 
loaded with two pieces of goods, and with baggage be- 
longing to Brisebois, Jasmin, and Pouliot, and a kettle 
hung on each side. Auguste Brisebois follows, with 
only his gun on his shoulder and a fresh-lighted pipe in 
his mouth. Michel Jasmin goes next, like Brisebois, 
with gun and pipe, puffing out clouds of smoke. 
Nicolas Pouliot, the greatest smoker in the Northwest, 
has nothing but pipe and pouch; those three fellows 
have taken a farewell dram, and lighted fresh pipes, 
go on brisk and merry, playing numerous pranks. 
Dormin Livernois, with a young mare, the property of 
Mr. Langlois, loaded with weeds for smoking, an old 
worsted bag (madame's property), some squashes and 
potatoes, a small keg of fresh water, and two young 
whelps, howling. Next goes Livernois' young horse, 
drawing a travaille, loaded with baggage and a large 
worsted mashguemcate, belonging to Madame Langlois. 
Next appears Madame Cameron's mare, kicking, rear- 
ing, and snorting, hauling a travaille loaded with a bag 
of flour, cabbage, turnips, onions, a small keg of water, 
and a large kettle of broth. Michel Langlois, who is 



276 Trails of the Pathfinders 

master of the band, now comes on leading a horse that 
draws a travaille nicely covered with a new painted tent, 
under which his daughter and Mrs. Cameron lie at full 
length, very sick; this covering or canopy has a pretty 
effect in the caravan, and appears at a great distance in 
the plains. Madame Langlois brings up the rear of 
the human beings, following the travaille with a slow 
step and melancholy air, attending to the wants of her 
daughter, who, nothwithstanding her sickness, can find 
no other expressions of gratitude to her parents than 
by caUing them dogs, fools, beasts, etc. The rear-guard 
consists of a long train of twenty dogs, some for sleighs, 
some for game, and others for no use whatever, except 
to snarl and destroy meat. The total forms a proces- 
sion nearly a mile long, and appears like a large band 
of Assiniboines.'* 

Early in November Henry went over to the Hair 
Hills. In March, on a journey from the Hair Hills to 
his home, he says that he travelled in the night always, 
preferring to do so at this season of the year, partly to 
avoid snow blindness, and partly because the cold of 
the night makes travel easier than during the day, when 
the snow is melted and soft, and dogs and sledges sink 
deep into it. In April, when he was chasing buffalo, 
he came near leaving his bones in the plains, a prey for 
the wolves. "This was occasioned by my horse stum- 
bling while at full speed. I was just drawing my gun 
from the belt to fire, holding it by the barrel, near the 
muzzle, when the sudden shock caused the priming to 
fire the gun; the ball passed near my hip and struck in 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 277 

the ground, and the gun flew some distance. I was 
in the midst of the herd; a fine large calf passing near 
me, I dismounted, caught him by the tail, and held him 
fast; he began to bleat, when instantly the mother 
turned and rushed at me; I was glad to let go and run 
to my horse. As I reflected on my narrow escape, it 
brought to my mind a similar aff'air which happened 
to me some years ago at Michipicoten, when shooting 
wildfowl in the spring, in a small canoe. In attempting 
to remove my gun from my left to my right side, passing 
the muzzle behind my back, the cock got fast in one of 
the bars, and, on my pulling the gun forward from 
behind me, she went olF; the load grazed my right side, 
taking a piece of my belt and capot away." 

In April he bought a beautiful white buff"alo skin; 
the hair was long, soft and perfectly white, resembling a 
sheep's fleece. Early in May extraordinary numbers of 
wild pigeons were seen, and the Indian women were 
preparing the ground for their farming. With the sum- 
mer came the usual packing of the furs, and the journey 
to Kamanistiquia. The return journey was a short 
one, and Henry reached the Panbian River early in 
September. In October he writes, as showing the 
excellence of his horse, that one day he ran an elk five 
miles before killing it; then chased a hare, which he 
killed after a long pursuit; and finally, toward evening, 
he ran a herd of buffalo, and killed a fat cow for supper. 
Besides these long races, he had covered about thirty- 
six miles of travel. 

This winter, because he refused to give credit to an 



278 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Indian for a blanket, Henry was twice shot at, but 
missed. On his return to his post that summer, he 
learned of an attack on a small camp of his Indians by 
Sioux a month earlier. This is the story as Henry gives 
it, and it may be retold because it illustrates Indian 
modes: "My beau-pere (father-in-law) was the first 
man that fell, about eight o'clock in the morning. He 
had climbed a tree to see if the buffalo were at hand, 
as they were tented there to make dried provisions. He 
had no sooner reached the top than two Sioux discover- 
ers [scouts] fired at the same moment, and both balls 
passed through his body. He had only time to call out 
to his family, who were in the tent, about a hundred 
paces from him, 'Save yourselves, the Sioux are killing 
us!' and fell dead to the ground, his body breaking 
several branches of the tree as it dropped. The noise 
brought the Indians out of the tent, when, perceiving 
their danger, the women and children instantly ran 
through the plains toward an island of wood on Tongue 
River, about a mile distant, and on a direct Hne toward 
the fort. The men took their arms and made off also, 
keeping in the rear of their women and children, whom 
they urged on. The four surviving men had not gone 
more than a quarter of a mile when they saw the main 
body of the war party, on horseback, rushing down upon 
them. Crossing Tongue River, and in a few moments 
coming up with them, the Sioux began to fire. The four 
men, by expert maneuvers and incessant fire, prevented 
the enemy from closing in on them, while the women 
and children continued to fly, and the men followed. 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 279 

They were within about two hundred paces of the wood, 
and some of the most active had actually entered it, 
when the enemy surrounded and fell upon them. Three 
of the Saulteurs fled in different directions; Grand 
Gueule escaped before they were completely surrounded, 
but the other two were killed. One who remained to 
protect the women and children was a brave fellow — 
Aceguemanche, or Little Chief; he waited deliberately 
until the enemy came very near, when he fired at one 
who appeared to be a chief, and knocked the Sioux 
from his horse. Three young girls and a boy were 
taken prisoners; the remainder were all murdered and 
mutilated in a horrible manner. Several women and 
children had escaped in the woods, where the enemy 
chased them on horseback, but the willows and brush 
were so intricate that every one of these escaped. A 
boy about twelve years old, when the Sioux pursued, 
crawled into a hollow under a bunch of willows, which 
a horseman leaped over without perceiving him. One 
of the little girls who escaped tells a pitiful story of her 
mother, who was killed. This woman, having two young 
children that could not walk fast enough, had taken one 
of them on her back and prevailed upon her sister-in-law 
to carry the other; but when they got near the woods, 
and the enemy rushed upon them with hideous yells 
and war-whoops, the young woman was so frightened 
that she threw down the child and soon overtook the 
mother, who, observing that the child was missing, and 
hearing its screams, kissed her little daughter — the one 
who relates the story — saying, with tears streaming 



28o Trails of the Pathfinders 

from her eyes: 'Take courage, my daughter; try to reach 
the woods, and if you do, go to your eldest sister, who 
will be kind to you; I must turn back and recover your 
youngest sister, or die in the attempt. Take courage; 
run fast, my daughter!' Poor woman! She actually 
did recover her child, and was running off with both 
children, when she was felled to the ground by a blow 
on the head with a war-club. She recovered instantly, 
drew her knife, and plunged it into the neck of her 
murderer; but others coming up, she was despatched. 
Thus my belle-mere ended her days.'* 

This same story is told by Tanner, who was then an 
Indian captive, living with the Chippewas. Tanner even 
mentions Henry's name, and speaks of his father-in-law 
having been killed. The Saulteurs were determined to 
avenge the death of their relations, and Henry furnished 
them with ammunition for their war journey. Later, he 
visited the battle-field and the Sioux camp, and judged 
from the sign that there must have been about three 
hundred men in the Sioux party. In October the re- 
mains of the Sioux killed by Little Chief were dis- 
covered by some of the Indians; and the certainty that 
their enemies had met one loss was some satisfaction 
to the Saulteurs. 

Although Henry had made an agreement with Mr. 
Miller, an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company, by 
which the rum to be given to the Indians should be 
limited, the winter did not pass without deaths due to 
drinking. One of these was an accident where a drunk- 
en Indian knocked down a gun which, exploding, killed 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 281 

one of Henry's men, who was lying on a bed in the next 
room. The profits for the season's work in 1805 and 
1806, as given in Henry's diary, are nearly three thou- 
sand five hundred pounds. 

Early in July, 1806, after his return from down the 
river, Henry made preparations to set off on a tour to 
the south-west, to the country of the Mandans,who then, 
as now, lived on the Missouri River. There had been 
heavy rains, and the plains of the Red River were covered 
with water, or else were so muddy that travel was slow 
and exceedingly laborious. The horses often sank up 
to their knees in mud, and at times had water up to their 
bellies, while the little rivulets which they crossed they 
were obliged to swim, carrying on their heads such arti- 
cles as they wished to keep dry. Mosquitoes were a 
veritable plague, and Henry had prepared a mask of thin 
dressed caribou skin, which in some measure protected 
him; but those who were not provided with some defense 
suffered terribly. Only when the wind blew was there 
any relief. They were more than once obliged to make 
rafts, and when they were naked, hauling the raft back 
and forth, they had no defense against the mosquitoes. 
The horses suffered as much as the men. 

The final start for the Mandans was from the estab- 
lishment on Mouse River, and the party consisted of 
seven persons, of whom one was a Saulteur, a brother- 
in-law of Chaboillez, who had undertaken to guide the 
party to the Mandans. It was midsummer, and they 
travelled west-southwest over delightful prairies, where 
antelope were exceedingly abundant. After crossing 



282 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Mouse River, they found buffalo in great plenty, and all 
in motion, from east to west. It was the rutting season, 
and the herds were noisy and excited. On the i8th of 
July, as they were crossing the high Missouri plains, 
they came in sight of the buttes, called Maison du Chien, 
now commonly known as the Dogden Buttes. This is 
one of the great landmarks of the country, and many 
stirring adventures have taken place within sight of it. 
A little later they could see the high red banks of the 
Missouri before them, a long way off. 

When they reached it, they found plenty of tracks of 
people there, and an abundance of last year's corncobs. 
The winter village of the Minitaris was near. A well- 
defined trail led down the river, and they were several 
times in danger of breaking their necks in deep pits, 
which the natives had dug in the path to catch wolves 
and foxes in winter. Some of these were ten feet deep, 
and hollowed out in places to about thirty feet in cir- 
cumference, while the entrance was no wider than a 
foot-path, and about five feet in length. "These holes 
are covered with dried grass, at the season when the 
wolves are caught, and every morning are found to 
contain some of those animals. In summer the grass 
grows strong and high about the mouths, entirely con- 
cealing them until one arrives upon the very brink, 
and he is in danger of tumbling in headlong." Down 
the river about five miles they came to a Mandan 
village. The people received them pleasantly, and the 
Black Cat, the chief, took them to one of his houses, 
which was kept for strangers. The people were desirous 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 283 

of trading, and could not understand why the white 
men should have come so far out of mere curiosity. As 
usual in these permanent villages of earth lodges, the 
horses at night were confined in one part of the lodge 
while the people slept in the other. The Mandans had 
large earthen pots of different sizes, from five gallons to 
one quart, used solely for boiling corn and beans. The 
Black Cat was told the next day by a Canadian who 
lived in the neighboring Mandan village, who his visi- 
tors were, and at once brought out the American flag, 
given him in the autumn of 1804 by Captains Lewis and 
Clark, and hoisted it over the hut in which the strangers 
were staying. When they were about to cross the river 
and go to the opposite village, they packed up such 
goods as they had, and the few things they had pur- 
chased, chiefly provisions, and gave them into the care 
of the chief. ''These people are much given to thieving, 
but in the hut in which a stranger is lodged his property 
may be left in perfect security; none dare touch it, as 
the master conceives his honor concerned in whatever 
is placed under his immediate protection. Out of doors, 
if they can pick your pocket or pilfer any article, it is 
gone in an instant, and search would be in vain; every 
one would wish to appear innocent, although they are 
not offended when accused of stealing, but laugh the 
matter away." 

Henry and his people crossed the river in bull-boats, 
and were well received at the other Mandan village. 
He noted the expertness of the young men in getting 
the horses across, one swimming ahead with the rope 



284 Trails of the Pathfinders 

in his teeth, while others swam on each side, and in the 
rear, driving each horse very rapidly. He also saw 
bull-boats — a new vessel to him. They had hardly 
reached the village when there came in some Pawnees 
from down the river on an embassy to treat for peace. 
They could not speak the language either of the Man- 
dans or the Minitaris, but they talked freely in signs; 
and this sign language seems to have been a surprise to 
Henry. He says: "They hold conversations for several 
hours upon different subjects, during the whole of 
which time not a single word is pronounced upon either 
side, and still they appear to comprehend each other 
perfectly well. This mode of communication is natural 
to them. Their gestures are made with the greatest 
ease, and they never seem to be at a loss for a sign to 
express their meaning." 

These people collected their fuel in the spring, when 
the ice broke up, and great quantities of wood drifted 
down. The young men were accustomed to swim out 
among the drifting ice and bring in the trees, however 
large, which they hauled out on the bank. Immense 
piles of driftwood were seen opposite each village, and 
some of the trees were very large. While collecting 
this driftwood, they also drew to land great numbers of 
drowned buffalo, of which they were very fond. 

He noticed — as have many others — that some chil- 
dren were gray-haired, and that others were blond. A 
Minitari was seen with yellow hair, something not un- 
exampled in old times. 

The men wore their hair twisted into a number of 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 285 

small tails, hanging down the back to below the waist. 
In some of them it trailed on the ground. The Chey- 
ennes to-day tell us that a hundred years ago the men 
of their tribe wore their hair in the same fashion. From 
the village of the Mandans they went on up the river 
to those of the Soulier [Amahami, a tribe now extinct] 
and Minitari villages. Here they met Mackenzie and 
Caldwell, employees in the service of the Northwest 
Company, who had been residing some Httle time in the 
village. 

Henry was not particularly well pleased with his re- 
ception here, and indeed the Indians paid little attention 
to the white men, and seemed to despise them. The 
village, which formerly contained nine hundred houses, 
now had only a hundred and thirty, smallpox and other 
diseases having reduced them to that number. While 
in this village the white men found it dangerous to stray 
out of the hut without a stout stick to keep off the 
dogs, which were so numerous and savage as sometimes 
actually to attack them. The people had many horses. 
Henry greatly objected to their custom of apparently 
becoming dissatisfied with their bargain after a trade 
had been concluded, and returning and taking back 
the article they had sold, while giving up the price paid 
for it. For example: "One of the natives had a turkey 
cock's tail, great numbers of which they got from the 
Schians, and which serve them as fans; this was a new 
and fresh one of beautiful hue. I save him five rounds 
of ammunition for it, with which he appeared well satis- 
fied, and left me, but soon returned with the ammuni- 



286 Trails of the Pathfinders 

tion, and demanded the tail. Being loth to part with 
it, I added five more rounds to the price, which he ac- 
cepted and went away. However, he soon reappeared 
and I added four more; but to no purpose, for he 
continued to go and come until the payment amounted 
t© thirty rounds. Upon his next appearance I offered 
forty rounds; but he would no longer listen to any 
offer, threw down my ammunition, and insisted upon 
my returning him the tail, which I was obliged to do." 



CHAPTER XVIII 

ALEXANDER HENRY (THE YOUNGER) 

III 

ON July 28 they started on their return to the 
north, in constant fears and alarms lest the As- 
siniboines should steal their horses. A few 
days later the horses, troubled by mosquitoes, broke 
their ropes, and eight of them ran off in their hobbles. 
These could not be found again, and some of the people 
were obliged to go forward on foot, while the baggage 
was loaded on the remaining horses. 

On his journey back to the Pembina River, Henry had 
an experience comical to read about, but not to endure. 
"We took the traverse for the mountain, but on coming 
to Cypress River found it had overflowed its banks about 
three acres on each side, and could find no fordable 
place. We were obliged to turn out of our way some 
miles, in going to where we perceived a large, dry poplar 
tree, and a few stunted willows, but there we had the 
mortification to find that the wood stood on the oppo- 
site side of the river. There being no alternative, we 
unloaded our horses and stripped. I crossed over, col- 
lected what brush I could find, and with the poplar 

287 



288 Trails of the Pathfinders 

formed a raft, so very slight as to carry scarcely more 
than fifty pounds' weight. The mosquitoes were in- 
tolerable, and as we were obliged to remain naked for 
about four hours, we suffered more than I can describe. 
The grass on each side was too high to haul our raft 
through to dry land; we could use it only on the river by 
means of two long cords, one fastened to each end. 
Ducharme hauled it over to his side, and after making 
it fast, he went to dry land for a load in water up to his 
armpits, whilst I waited with my whole body immersed 
until he brought down a load and laid it upon the raft. 
I then hauled it over and carried the load to dry land 
upon my head. Every time I landed the mosquitoes 
plagued me insufferably; and still worse, the horse that 
I had crossed over upon was so tormented that he broke 
his fetters and ran away. I was under the cruel necessity 
of pursuing him on the plains entirely naked; fortu- 
nately I caught him and brought him back. I suffered 
a good deal from the sharp-pointed grass pricking my 
bare feet, and mosquito bites covered my body. The 
sun was set before we finished our transportation. The 
water in this river is always excessively cold, and by 
the time we got all over, our bodies were as blue as 
indigo; we were shivering like aspen leaves, and our 
legs were cut and chafed by the coarse, stiff grass. We 
shot an old swan, and caught two young ones that could 
not fly; this made us a comfortable supper." 

Henry reached the fort August 14. 

"One of our hunters killed thirty-six prime bears in 
the course of the season on the Hair Hills. Whatever 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 289 

number of bears an Indian may kill in the summer or 
fall is considered of no consequence, as they are value- 
less and easy to hunt, but after they have taken up 
their w^inter quarters the Indians glory in killing 
them." 

In August, 1808, Henry finally left the Panbian River 
on his v^ay westward, bidding adieu also to the Saulteur 
tribes, among which, as he says, he had passed sixteen 
long winters. His journey was through Lake Winnipeg 
to the Saskatchewan and Lake Bourbon, now known as 
Cedar Lake. On the 22nd he passed old Fort Bourbon, 
established in 1749 by Verendrye, and entered one of 
the channels of the Saskatchewan. Wild-fowl were very 
abundant as they pushed up the river. At last they 
entered Sturgeon Lake, and reached Cumberland House. 
They kept on up the stream, ascending the north branch, 
from time to time meeting Indians, some of whom were 
Assiniboines, called Assiniboines of the Saskatchewan, 
and as they had before this purchased some horses, they 
were fearful that these might be stolen. It was now 
September, and the bushes were loaded with choke- 
cherries and service berries. Buffalo paths running in 
every direction were deep and numerous. Ammunition 
was issued early in September to the men for purposes 
of defense. Soon buffalo were met, and here Henry 
first ran these animals over the rough ground of the 
plains, covered with large round stones, and pierced 
at frequent intervals with badger holes. On September 
13 he reached Fort Vermilion, where was a fort of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, and found the Blackfeet all 



290 Trails of the Pathfinders 

about. Here Henry wintered, expecting to be visited 
by numerous tribes from the south. 

Just before Christmas, in December, the Blackfeet 
invited Henry and his Hudson's Bay neighbor to come 
to their camp and see buffalo driven into the pound. 
The two men went in dog sledges, and were kindly 
received by the Indians, but the weather was insuffer- 
able, being foggy, and the wind was contrary. They 
viewed the pound, where they "had only the satisfaction 
of viewing the mangled carcasses strewn about the 
pound. The bulls were mostly entire, none but good 
cows having been cut up. The stench from this in- 
closure was great, even at this season, for the weather 
was mild." From the lookout hill, buffalo were seen 
in enormous numbers, but as the wind was unfavorable, 
every herd that was brought near to the pound dis- 
persed and ran away. After having been there two 
days, Henry became disgusted, and returned to the post; 
but he was followed by a number of Blackfeet, who 
arrived the next day, and told him that they had scarcely 
left when a large herd was brought into the pound. 

On the 26th of September, 18 10, Henry set off on 
horseback, westward; the canoes, of course, coming up 
the stream. Their destination was Rocky Mountain 
House, a post located on the north Saskatchewan River, 
a mile and a half above the mouth of Clearwater, three 
miles below Pangman's Tree, so named from the fact 
that Peter Pangman carved an inscription on it when 
he first sighted the mountains in 1790. 

On the way up the stream they found signs of beaver 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 291 

extremely abundant; but although one of the Indians 
set traps in the hope of taking some, the winds blew the 
smoke of the camp toward the traps, and the beaver did 
not leave their houses that night. The next day, how- 
ever, they took two, the signs still showing the presence 
of great quantities of beaver. Ahead of Henry was a 
camp of Sarsi, twenty-five lodges, which had just left, 
for at their camp on Medicine Lodge River, a branch of 
the Red Deer; the fires were still burning. They must 
have made a good hunt here, since the bones of beaver, 
bear, moose, elk and buffalo lay about their camp in 
great quantities. That afternoon they met five lodges 
of Bloods and Sarsi, with whom they camped. Game 
was abundant, and Henry notes on the 5th the appear- 
ance of a herd of strongwood buffalo, the bison of the 
hills and mountains, so different in appearance and 
some of their habits from those of the prairie. Here, 
too, were seen the fresh tracks of a grizzly bear, measur- 
ing fourteen inches in length. 

When they reached the fort they found the Piegans 
friendly and quiet, but suspicious of the whites. " These 
Piegans had the fresh hide of a bull they had killed at the 
foot of the Rocky Mountains. This was really a curi- 
osity; the hair on the back was dirty white, and the long 
hair under the throat and forelegs iron-gray, and sides 
and belly were yellow. I wished to purchase it, but 
the owners would not part with it under any consider- 
ation." It is well understood that white buffalo, or 
those that are spotted, or indeed of any unusual color, 
are very highly esteemed by the tribes of the plains. 



292 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Henry has referred to this before, and I have called 
attention to the sacredness of the white bufFaJo's hide 
among the Blackfeet, Bloods, and Piegans, and among 
the Cheyennes further to the south. 

It was now an active time, Bloods, Piegans, and 
Sarsi coming and going, bringing in some beaver, for 
which they received tobacco, rum, and trifles, and 
occasionally a gift of clothing to some man who had 
brought in an especially good lot of beaver. On No- 
vember 4 the traders had in store 720 beaver, 33 grizzly 
bears, 20 buffalo robes, 300 muskrats, 100 lynx — not a 
bad trade for the season of the year. 

November 9: "I rode up river about three miles to 
the rising ground on the north side, where Mr. Pang- 
man carved his name on the pine in 1790. This spot 
was the utmost distant of discoveries on the Saskat- 
chewan toward the Rocky Mountains, of which, indeed, 
we had a tolerable view from this hill. The winding 
course of the river is seen until it enters the gap of the 
mountains, a little east of which appears another gap, 
through which, I am told, flows a south branch that 
empties into the Saskatchewan some miles above this 
place. The mountains appear at no great distance, all 
covered with snow; while we have none." The arrival 
this day of an express from below brought the news that 
an act of Parliament had been passed prohibiting the 
sale of spirituous liquors among the Indians. 

The weather was now cold, the river occasionally 
choking up with ice, and snow fell. The canoes were 
split by the frost, and axes broke while the men were 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 293 

chopping with them. Men were sent out to get dogs 
for hauling, and as soon as the country became covered 
with snow, dog trains were sent down to lower Terre 
Blanche to bring up goods. Gros Ventres of the 
Prairie had just returned with sixty horses, stolen from 
the Flatheads, and others had gone off to try to take 
more. On the 27th of December, "Our hunter had 
killed a large grizzly bear, very lean, and, as usual 
with them in that state, very wicked; he narrowly es- 
caped being devoured. They seldom den for the winter, 
as black bears do, but wander about in search of prey." 
In February Henry made a trip to the Continental 
Divide, to where the waters of a branch of the Columbia 
rise within a very short distance of the Saskatchewan. 
He was obliged to tell the Piegans that he was going 
down the stream instead of up. Travel was by dog 
sledge, and over the frozen river, in which there were 
no air holes to be seen. On the way up, during the first 
day, they found a carcass of a deer that had been killed 
by wolves. The ice was of great thickness, so that at 
night, when a man was endeavoring to get water from 
the stream, he was obliged to cut with an axe for an hour 
before it flowed. As they went up the stream, the 
banks grew higher and nearer together, and at one point 
there were seen tracks of animals coming down the 
mountains among the rocks. "These are the gray 
sheep which have been seen about this place, and which 
delight to dwell among precipices and caverns, where 
they feed on a peculiar sort of clay." The reference is 
evidently to a "lick," a place where a mineral spring has 



294 Trails of the Pathfinders 

given a saline taste to the earth round about. Such licks 
are common enough in the Rocky Mountains and many 
other places, and are regularly visited by sheep, w^hich 
often gnav^ away the earth in many places and over a 
considerable space. A little further up the stream they 
v^ere in full view of the mountains. The river being 
low, flowed through numerous channels, some of which 
were free from ice; others which were frozen, had water 
flowing over the ice. On account of the wind there 
was little snow on the gravel bars, and the hauling was 
hard for the dogs and bad for the sleds. 

On the 5th he overtook his people, who had started 
several days earlier, and who had killed three sheep and 
three cows. Here Henry stopped for a day, and sent off" 
three men to hunt sheep, wishing to obtain the entire 
skin of an old ram. This they failed to secure, but one 
of them had seen the tracks of a white goat. The next 
day, keeping on, sheep tracks were seen, and Henry 
indulges in reflections on the wonderful places which 
they passed over, and their sureness of foot. The 
following day, "Shortly after leaving camp, we saw a 
herd of about thirty rams feeding among the rocks on 
the north side. They did not seem to be shy, though the 
noise of our bells and dogs was sufficient to have alarmed 
a herd of buffalo two miles off". The rams stood for 
some time gazing at us, and did not retreat until some 
people with dogs climbed up to fire at them, when they 
set off at full speed, directing their course up the moun- 
tain. I was astonished to see with what agility they 
scaled the cliffs and crags. At one time I supposed 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 295 

them hemmed in by rocks so steep and smooth that it 
seemed impossible for any animal to escape being dashed 
to pieces below, but the whole herd passed this place on 
a narrow horizontal ledge, without a single misstep, 
and were soon out of sight." Here Henry seems to 
have seen his first flock of dippers, which interested 
him not a little; and on the ice above this point he found 
the remains of a ram which had been run down by 
w^olves and devoured. 

There were plenty of buffalo on Kutenai Plains, which 
they now reached, but they killed none, a hunter firing 
at a sheep having driven them off. Moose and elk were 
plenty here, as well as white-tailed deer and grizzly 
bears; and here, too, were seen ''white partridges" — 
in other words, white-tailed ptarmigan. Still following 
up the river, the snow grew deeper and deeper, so that 
at length they were obliged to take to snow-shoes, and to 
beat a path for their dogs. On the 9th of February they 
reached the Continental Divide, and passing through 
thick forest came to a small opening where three streams 
of Columbian waters join. The brook thus formed is 
Blueberry Creek, which runs into the Columbia. That 
morning, when leaving camp, in the Kutenai Park, a 
place where the Kutenais used to drive buffalo over 
the cliff, Henry had left his hunter, Desjarlaix, behind, 
telling him to try to kill a white goat. Shortly after 
his return to the camp, his hunter came in and told 
Henry that he had seen large white goats on the moun- 
tain, directly off Kutenai Park, where he had been trying 
since daybreak to get a shot at them. "He was almost 



296 Trails of the Pathfinders 

exhausted, the snow being up to his middle, and the 
ground so steep as not to admit of snow-shoes. He had 
worked about a quarter of the way up the mountain, 
but had been obhged to abandon the attempt to reach 
the animals. They did not appear the least shy, but 
stood gazing at him, and cropping the stunted shrubs 
and blades of long grass which grew in crevices in 
places where the wind had blown the snow off. As I 
desired to obtain the skin of one of those animals, I 
gave him dry mittens and trousers to put on, went with 
him to the foot of the mountain, and I pointed out a 
place where I supposed it was possible to reach them. 
We could perceive all three, still standing abreast on 
the edge of a precipice, looking down upon us, but they 
were at a great height. He once more undertook the 
arduous task of climbing up in pursuit of them, while I 
returned to the camp. A hunter in these mountains 
requires many pairs of shoes (i. e., moccasins), the rocks 
are so rough and sharp that a pair of good strong moose- 
leather shoes are soon torn to pieces. The white goat 
is [not] larger than the gray sheep, thickly covered with 
long, pure white wool, and has short black, nearly 
erect horns. These animals seldom leave the moun- 
tain tops; winter or summer they prefer the highest 
regions. Late in the evening my hunter returned, ex- 
hausted, and covered with ice, having labored in the 
snow till his clothes became all wet, and soon after stiff 
with ice. He had ascended half way when the sun set, 
which obliged him to return. " 

The next day Henry wished to send his hunter out 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 297 

again, but the poor fellow was so done up and his legs so 
swollen by the exercise of the day before that the effort 
was given up. They therefore started down the river, 
past the camp of the day before, where they found that 
the men had killed sheep, buffalo, a large black wolf, 
and a Canada lynx. The following day they saw a herd 
of rams on the rocks, and tried to get a shot, " but one of 
our men, being some distance ahead, and not observing 
them, continued to drive on, which alarmed and drove 
them up into the mountains. I regretted this very 
much as the herd consisted of old rams with enormous 
horns; one of them appeared to be very lean, with 
extraordinarily heavy horns, whose weight he seemed 
scarcely able to support. When the horns grow to 
such great length, forming a complete curve, the ends 
project on both sides of the head so as to prevent the 
animal from feeding, which, with their great weight, 
causes the sheep to dwindle to a mere skeleton and die. 
We soon afterward saw a herd of buffalo on the hills 
near the river, but on hearing the sound of the bells they 
ran away, and appeared much more shy than sheep." 
Continuing down the river, they reached the fort, 
February 13. 

Henry finished the winter at Rocky Mountain House, 
and in May, 181 1, started down the river to Fort 
Augustus. 

There is now a long break, extending over two years, 
in Henry's journal, the third part, as Dr. Coues has 
divided it, being devoted to the Columbia. November 
15, 1813, finds him at Astoria, the scene of so many 



298 Trails of the Pathfinders 

trials of fur traders, and the place about which so many- 
books have been written. The journal for the two in- 
tervening years has not been discovered. It may yet 
turn up and, if it shall, will undoubtedly give us much 
interesting information. What we know is that Henry 
came to Astoria from Fort William, but how he got there 
we do not know. His party came, however, in bark 
canoes, for a contemporary writer says as much as that. 
Not only was Henry here on the west coast, but his 
nephew, William Henry, who had been frequently as- 
sociated with him in past years, even back on the 
Pembina River. 

The character of the Indians here interested Henry, 
and he makes his usual frank and not always elegant 
comments on them. On November 30 the British 
ship "Raccoon" reached Astoria, captured the place, 
and thereafter it was a British trading-post, under the 
name Fort George. Duncan McDougal, the chief 
factor, had left the Northwest Company to enter Mr. 
Astor's service, in 1810, but without any particular 
hesitation he surrendered to the British ship, although 
the Indians were only too anxious to defend the place 
for the Americans, and to assist the white men in hold- 
ing it. As a matter of fact, however, most of the em- 
ployees of Mr. Astor were British subjects, and were 
very glad to have the place taken. 

Much time was expended on the final settlement of 
the accounts between McDougal, who had been Mr. 
Astor's representative at Astoria, and the representatives 
of the Northwest Company, who were now in possession; 



Alexander Henry (the Younger) 299 

but at last this was all finished, and on December 31 
the "Raccoon" made sail, and disappeared behind 
Point Adams. 

Rains were constant, and the fur traders and their 
property suffered much from wet and dampness. With 
this spring, Henry for the first time seems to have seen 
the Indians catching smelts and herrings, and de- 
scribes the well-known rake used on the western coast: 
"They had a pole about ten feet long and two inches 
thick, on one side of which was fixed a range of small 
sharp bones, like teeth, about one inch long, a quarter 
of an inch asunder, the range of teeth ascending six 
feet up the blade. This instrument is used in smelt 
fishery." As is well known, the Indians sweep this 
instrument through the water in places where the small 
fish are schooled, and at each sweep of the rake from 
one to half dozen fish are impaled, when the imple- 
ment being brought to the surface and held over the 
canoe, the fish are jarred from it into the vessel. On 
the 28th of February a ship, the "Pedler," brought Mr. 
Hunt, who was second to Mr. Astor in the management 
of the Pacific Fur Company, and headed the original 
overland Astor expedition in 18 10-18 12. 

There was now a gathering of all the partners and 
those interested in the Northwest Company and the 
Pacific Fur Company for a settling of accounts between 
Hunt and McDougal. The "Pedler" got under way 
April 2. On April 4 a brigade often canoes set off up 
the river. This left a small contingent at Fort George, 
and this contingent very ill provided. They had a little 
spoiled California beef and a little bad grease. In 



300 Trails of the Pathfinders 

addition they had only the smelts caught by the Indians 
and these were often spoiled, so that the men refused 
to eat them, and the little provision that they could 
buy from the Indians, a few beaver, deer, and elk — 
called hiche by Henry. As a result many of the men 
were ill, and fourteen were in hospital at one time. To 
help out the lack of sugar or molasses, they experi- 
mented in making a decoction of camas root, which 
produces a kind of syrup, preferable to molasses for 
sweetening coffee. Among the skins brought in by the 
Indians were occasionally those of tame cats, which 
Henry conjectures to be the offspring of cats lost from 
Spanish ships that had been cast ashore. 

April 22 a ship was seen, which proved to be the 
"Isaac Todd," on which came Mr. J. C. McTavish, 
who was to take charge of Fort George as governor. 
Work went on; loading and unloading the ship, buying 
provisions, the annoyances of small quarrels between 
various people. The entry in Henry's diary of May 
21, 1814, is partly finished, and then ends with a dash; 
for on Sunday, May 22, Alexander Henry, Donald 
McTavish, and five sailors were drowned while going 
out to the ship. 

So perished Alexander Henry, the younger, after 
twenty-two years of adventure, extending from the 
Great Lakes to the Pacific, and from the Missouri River 
north to Lake Athabasca. It may fairly be said of all 
the books that have been written by the early travellers 
and traders in America this is the most interesting and 
the most curious. 



CHAPTER XIX 
ROSS COX 



ON the 17th of October, 181 1, the ship "Beaver," 
Captain Cornelius Sowles, sailed from New York 
for the mouth of the Columbia River. She 
carried one partner, six clerks, and a number of artisans 
and voyageurs, of the Pacific Fur Company, an associa- 
tion of which John Jacob Astor was the chief proprietor. 
Among the clerks on this ship was Ross Cox, who, 
some years later, published a work in two volumes, 
called The Columbia River , or Scenes and Adventures 
During a Residence of Six Tears on the Western Side 
of the Rocky Mountains among Various Tribes of In- 
dians Hitherto Unknown, Together with a "Journey 
Across the American Continent. 

Cox was a British subject, but, like many of his com- 
patriots, was eager to secure an appointment in Mr. 
Astor's company, for he was captivated by the love 
of novelty, and by the hope of speedily reahzing an 
independence in the new country that was being opened. 

It will be remembered that, for about a hundred 
years after its charter had been granted, the Hudson's 

301 



302 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Bay Company made litde effort to extend into the 
interior the trading-posts which it, alone, had the privi- 
lege of establishing on the shores of the Hudson's 
Bay and its tributary rivers. True, trading-posts had 
been established in the interior, but chiefly by the 
French traders, who had practically possessed the coun- 
try until the close of the French and Indian War. 
Then came the founding of the Northwest Fur Company 
of Canada, before long a formidable rival to the Hudson's 
Bay Company. It was conducted on the wiser plan 
of giving each one of its employees the chance to rise and 
become a partner, provided only his success justified 
the promotion. The Hudson's Bay Company, on the 
other hand, hired its men and paid them regularly, but 
offered no inducements to extra exertion on the part 
of its officers. The result could not be doubtful; the 
new company pressed the old one hard; and consoli- 
dation at length took place between the two. 

In the early part of the last century, John Jacob 
Astor, whose fur trade with the interior had not been 
altogether satisfactory, determined to explore the north- 
west coast, and proposed to the Northwest Company 
to join him in establishing a trading-post on the Colum- 
bia River. The proposition was decHned. Neverthe- 
less, in 1809, Astor formed the Pacific Fur Company, 
and needing able and experienced traders, he induced 
a number of men connected with the Northwest Com- 
pany to leave that establishment and join him. Among 
these were Alexander M'Kay, who had been a com- 
panion of Sir Alexander Mackenzie in earher days. 



Ross Cox 303 

Astor's plan was to establish posts on the north- 
west coast, to which each year a vessel should carry 
goods for the Indian trade, and having discharged her 
cargo at the mouth of the Columbia River, should take 
on board the furs of the year's trade, and thence proceed 
to China; selling her furs there, she should load with 
the products of that country and return to New York. 

The first vessel fitted out by the Pacific Fur Company 
was the ill-fated "Tonquin," commanded by Captain 
Jonathan Thorn. She sailed from New York in 18 10, 
with a number of partners, clerks, and artisans, and 
with a large cargo of goods for the Indian trade; and 
about the same time a party under W. P. Hunt and 
Donald Mackenzie left St. Louis to cross the continent 
to the mouth of the Columbia. 

The "Beaver" was the next of these annual ships to 
sail. She rounded the Horn, and touched at the Sand- 
wich Islands, where a number of the natives were 
shipped as laborers for the post, and on the 8th of 
May the ship's company found themselves opposite the 
mouth of the Columbia River. They crossed the bar 
without accident and, after a voyage of six months 
and twenty-two days, cast anchor in Baker's Bay. 

The accounts which they received from their friends 
at Astoria were very discouraging. There had been 
frequent quarrels between the captain of the "Tonquin" 
and his passengers. The captain was a man of great 
daring, but harsh and arbitrary in manner, and very 
ready to quarrel with his British passengers. His ob- 
stinacy resulted in the loss of several men at the mouth 



304 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of the Columbia; and the chief mate of the vessel, in 
consequence of a dispute with the captain, left her, and 
obtained an assignment to command a httle schooner 
built by the company. The "Tonquin," with M'Kay 
and Lewis, one of the clerks on board, dropped down to 
the mouth of the Columbia and proceeded northward, 
to go as far as Cooke's River, on a trading excursion. 

In the meantime, the overland parties, under the 
command of Mackenzie, M'Lellan, Hunt, and Crooks, 
after great suffering, reached the fort. 

The fate of the "Tonquin" was learned in the month 
of August, 181 1, from a party of Indians from Gray's 
Harbor. They came to the Columbia for fishing, and 
told the Chinooks that the "Tonquin" had been cut off 
by one of the northern tribes, and every soul mas- 
sacred. This is what seems to have happened. The 
"Tonquin," somewhere in the neighborhood of Nootka, 
cast anchor, and M'Kay began to trade with the natives, 
who were perfectly willing to part with their furs. One 
of the principal men, however, having been detected 
in some small theft, was struck by the captain, and in 
revenge the Indians formed a conspiracy to take posses- 
sion of the vessel. The interpreter learned of this, 
and told M'Kay, who warned the captain of the in- 
tended attack; but he only laughed at the information, 
and made no preparations for it. The Indians con- 
tinued to visit the ship, and without arms. The day 
before the vessel was to leave, two large canoes, each 
containing about twenty men, appeared alongside. 
They had some furs in their canoes and were allowed 



Ross Cox 305 

to come on board. Soon three more canoes followed; 
and the officers of the watch, seeing that a number of 
others were leaving the shore, warned Captain Thorn 
of the circumstances. He immediately came on the 
quarter-deck, accompanied by Mr. M'Kay and the 
interpreter. The latter, on observing that they all 
wore short cloaks or mantles of skin, which was by no 
means a general custom, at once knew their designs 
were hostile and told Mr. M'Kay of his suspicions. 
That gentleman immediately aipprised Captain Thorn of 
the circumstances, and begged him to lose no time in 
clearing the ship of intruders. This caution was, how- 
ever, treated with contempt by the captain, who re- 
marked, that with the arms they had on board they 
would be more than a match for three times the number. 
The sailors in the meantime had all come on the deck, 
which was crowded with Indians, who completely 
blocked up the passages, and obstructed the men in the 
performance of their various duties. The captain re- 
quested them to retire, to which they paid no attention. 
He then told them he was about going to sea, and had 
given orders to the men to raise the anchor; that he 
hoped they would go away quietly; but if they refused, 
he should be compelled to force their departure. He 
had scarcely finished when, at a signal given by one of 
the chiefs, a loud and frightful yell was heard from the 
assembled savages, who commenced a sudden and si- 
multaneous attack on the officers and crew with knives, 
bludgeons, and short sabres which they had concealed 
under their robes. 



3o6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

"M'Kay was one of the first attacked. One Indian 
gave him a severe blow with a bludgeon, which par- 
tially stunned him; upon which he was seized by five 
or six others, who threw him overboard into a canoe 
alongside, where he quickly recovered and was allowed 
to remain for some time uninjured. 

"Captain Thorn made an ineffectual attempt to reach 
the cabin for his firearms, but was overpowered by 
numbers. His only weapon was a jack-knife, with 
which he killed four of his savage assailants by ripping 
up their bellies, and mutilated several others. Covered 
with wounds, and exhausted from the loss of blood, he 
rested himself for a moment by leaning on the tiller 
wheel, when he received a dreadful blow from a weapon 
called a pautumaugan, on the back part of the head, 
which felled him to the deck. The death-dealing knife 
fell from his hand, and his savage butchers, after ex- 
tinguishing the few sparks of life that still remained, 
threw his mangled body overboard. 

"On seeing the captain's fate, our informant, who 
was close to him, and who had hitherto escaped un- 
injured, jumped into the water and was taken into a 
canoe by some women, who partially covered his body 
with mats. He states that the original intention of 
the enemy was to detain Mr. M'Kay a prisoner, and 
after securing the vessel to give him his liberty, on 
obtaining a ransom from Astoria. But on finding the 
resistance made by the captain and crew, the former of 
whom had killed one of their principal chiefs, their 
love of gain gave way to revenge, and they resolved to 



Ross Cox 307 

destroy him. The last time the ill-fated gentleman 
was seen, his head was hanging over the side of a canoe, 
and three savages, armed with pautumaugans, were 
battering out his brains. 

"In the meantime the devoted crew, who had main- 
tained the unequal conflict with unparalleled bravery, 
became gradually overpowered. Three of them, John 
Anderson, the boatswain; John Weekes, the carpenter; 
[and] Stephen Weekes, who had narrowly escaped at the 
Columbia, succeeded after a desperate struggle in gain- 
ing possession of the cabin, the entrance to which was 
securely fastened inside. The Indians now became 
more cautious, for they well knew there were plenty 
of firearms below; and they had already experienced 
enough of the prowess of the three men while on deck, 
and armed only with hand-spikes, to dread approaching 
them while they had more mortal weapons at their 
command. 

"Anderson and his two companions seeing their com- 
mander and the crew dead and dying about them, and 
that no hope of escape remained, and feeling, moreover, 
the uselessness of any further opposition, determined 
on taking a terrible revenge. Two of them, therefore, 
set about laying a train to the powder magazine, while 
the third addressed some Indians from the windows, 
who were in canoes, and gave them to understand that 
if they were permitted to depart unmolested in one of 
the ship's boats they would give them quiet possession 
of the vessel without firing a shot; stipulating, how- 
ever, that no canoe should remain near them while 



3o8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

getting into the boat. The anxiety of the barbarians 
to obtain possession of the plunder, and their disin- 
clination to risk any more Hves, induced them to em- 
brace this proposition with eagerness, and the pinnace 
was immediately brought astern. The three heroes 
having by this time perfected their dreadful arrange- 
ments, and ascertained that no Indian was watching 
them, gradually lowered themselves from the cabin 
windows into the boat; and having fired the train, 
quickly pushed off toward the mouth of the harbor, no 
obstacle being interposed to prevent their departure. 

"Hundreds of the enemy now rushed on deck to 
seize the long-expected prize, shouting yells of victory; 
but their triumph was of short duration. Just as they 
had burst open the cabin door, an explosion took place, 
which, in an instant, hurled upward of two hundred 
savages into eternity, and dreadfully injured as many 
more. The interpreter, who had by this time reached 
land, states he saw many mutilated bodies floating near 
the beach, while heads, arms and legs, together with 
fragments of the ship, were thrown to a considerable 
distance on the shore. 

"The first impression of the survivors was, that the 
Master of Life had sent forth the Evil Spirit from the 
waters to punish them for their cruelty to the white 
people. This belief, joined to the consternation occa- 
sioned by the shock, and the reproaches and lamenta- 
tions of the wives and other relatives of the sufferers, 
paralyzed for a time the exertions of the savages and 
favored the attempt of Anderson and his brave com- 



Ross Cox 309 

rades to escape. They rowed hard for the mouth of 
the harbor with the intention, as is supposed, of coast- 
ing along the shore to the Columbia; but after passing 
the bar, a head-wind and flowing tide drove them back 
and compelled them to land late at night in a small cove, 
where they fancied themselves free from danger, and 
where, weak from the loss of blood and the harassing 
exertions of the day, they fell into a profound sleep." 
Here they were captured, and a little later killed. 

Such is Cox's account of the destruction of the 
"Tonquin," obtained, we may presume, from the in- 
terpreter. Other accounts of the same event agree with 
it in its main facts, though there is some question as 
to who it was who blew up the ship, some narrators 
believing that it was Stephen Weekes, while others 
think that it was Lewis, the clerk. 

As if the spirits of the newly arrived traders had not 
been sufficiently damped by the story of the "Ton- 
quin," an added misfortune followed the next day. 
This was the return of one of the parties that had 
started overland, some to trade, others to carry de- 
spatches to the east. These men had been driven back 
by an encounter with Indians, and after great difficul- 
ties and much suffering, reached the post again. 

On the 28th of June, 18 12, a party of nearly a hun- 
dred men, well supplied with trade goods, started in 
canoes up the Columbia. They went well prepared to 
meet the Indians, each man carrying a musket and forty 
rounds of ball cartridges, and each also wearing leathern 
armor, "a kind of shirt made out of the skin of the 



310 Trails of the Pathfinders 

elk, which reached from the neck to the knees. It was 
perfectly arrow-proof, and at eighty or ninety yards 
impenetrable by a musket bullet. Besides the muskets, 
numbers had daggers, short swords, and pistols; and 
when armed cap-a-pie we presented a formidable ap- 
pearance." Metal armor, of course, was unknown to 
the Indians, but shields and body armor were common 
to many tribes. This was of several kinds, sometimes 
made of rows of overlapping plates of ivory or bone, 
of wood in the form of slats or rods, held in place by 
hide, or of coats, helmets, and so on, of hardened hide. 
Between 1840 and 1850 trappers on the prairie some- 
times hung about their necks, to protect the front of 
their bodies, the hides of mule-deer dressed with the 
hair on. These skins, when wet, would stop an arrow. 
After the coming of the white men, a few suits, or por- 
tions of suits, of armor came into possession of one or 
more of the plains tribes, were highly valued by them, 
used for a long time, and gave origin to a personal 
name now common among the plains tribes — Iron Shirt. 

At the portage every precaution was taken to guard 
against surprises. Five officers were stationed at each 
end of the portage, and several others, with twenty- 
five men, were scattered along it at short distances 
from one another. This was especially necessary at 
the foot of the first rapids, where the portage was three 
or four miles long, the path narrow and dangerous, and 
in some places obstructed. 

The ascent of the river, over falls and rapids, was 
very laborious. The boats had to be dragged up part 



Ross Cox 311 

of the way, and the labor was hard and long-continued. 
A Httle negligence by some of the men who were at the 
upper end of the portage resulted in a small trouble, for, 
while they wandered a short distance from the goods, 
two Indians endeavored to carry off an entire bale. 
It was too heavy for them, and they were about to open 
and carry away the contents, when two men, carrying 
burdens, arrived and gave the alarm. The Indians 
attacked the men, but the disturbance called back the 
officers, and the Indians fled. "A shot was fired at 
them by our best marksman, who was told merely to 
wing one, which he did with great skill, by breaking his 
left arm, at upward of a hundred yards distance. The 
fellow gave a dreadful shout on receiving the ball, but 
still continued his flight with his comrade, until we lost 
sight of them." 

Keeping on up the rapids, they saw other Indians, 
some of whom were on horseback, and much more at- 
tractive to the eye than the canoe Indians seen farther 
down the river. From the fishing Indians they pur- 
chased salmon in considerable numbers. 

Before this they had reached the high, volcanic, tree- 
less country, and had found rattlesnakes; and here 
an odd incident happened to one of the men, named 
La Course, which might have been fatal. Cox says: 
"This man had stretched himself on the ground, after 
the fatigue of the day, with his head resting on a small 
package of goods, and quickly fell asleep. While in 
this situation I passed him, and was almost petrified at 
seeing a large rattlesnake moving from his side to his 



312 Trails of the Pathfinders 

left breast. My first impulse was to alarm La Course; 
but an old Canadian whom I had beckoned to the spot 
requested me to make no noise, alleging it would merely 
cross the body and go away. He was mistaken, for on 
reaching the man's shoulder, the serpent deHberately 
coiled itself, but did not appear to meditate an attack. 
Having made signs to several others, who joined us, I 
was determined that two men should advance a little 
in front to divert the attention of the snake, while one 
should approach La Course behind, and with a long 
stick endeavor to remove it from his body. The snake, 
on observing the men advance in front, instantly raised 
its head, darted out its forked tongue, and shook its 
rattles; all indications of anger. Every one was now 
in a state of feverish agitation as to the fate of poor La 
Course, who still lay slumbering, unconscious of his 
danger; when the man behind, who had procured a 
stick seven feet in length, suddenly placed one end of 
it under the coiled reptile, and succeeded in pitching 
it upwards of ten feet from the man's body, A shout 
of joy was the first intimation La Course received of his 
wonderful escape, while in the meantime the man with 
the stick pursued the snake, which he killed. It was 
three feet six inches long." 

Toward the end of July the party camped at the 
mouth of the Walla Walla River, and met a number of 
Indians of that tribe. Twenty horses were purchased 
for Robert Stewart's party, and its eleven members 
left the next day for St. Louis. The Walla Wallas 
were kind and gentle, yet dignified; as were also the 



Ross Cox 313 

Indians of the Pierced-Nose tribe, then called by the 
French Les Nez Perces, a name which they still retain. 
Their houses were large; some square, others oblong, 
and some conical; they were covered with mats fixed 
on poles, and varied from twenty to seventy feet in 
length. These people seemed well to do, and owned 
many horses, twenty-five of which the traders bought; 
and from this time on some of them proceeded by land, 
while the others dragged, paddled, or poled the canoes 
up the stream. It was at a Pierced-Nose village, at no 
very great distance from the Columbia, on Lewis River, 
that the party left their boats and canoes, cacheing them 
in the willow brush, and leaving them in charge of the 
chief. Here they secured about fifty horses for pack 
animals, and a few for riding, but not nearly enough to 
give a horse to each man. Travelling along up the 
stream, the thirty-two men who were in Cox's company 
started for the country of the Spokanes. They had the 
usual incidents of travel — trouble with pack-horses, 
lack of grass for their animals, often lack of water for 
themselves; but before they had gone very far an ad- 
venture happened to the author which made it impos- 
sible for him to chronicle the doings of his party. 

On the 17th of August they stopped for noon, and 
turned their horses out to graze in very good feed. 
Cox went apart some distance, and after feasting on 
the fruit that grew here, lay down and went to sleep. 
When he awoke, the sun was low and no sound was to 
be heard. His companions had vanished. It after- 
ward appeared that they had started in three sections. 



314 Trails of the Pathfinders 

at a little distance from one another, and that each 
division of the command supposed Cox to be with one 
of the other divisions. It was not until toward night 
that his absence was discovered; and in the meantime 
he had awakened and set off in pursuit of the party, 
but soon lost the trail. He was lightly clad in a shirt 
and pair of cotton trousers and moccasins. He had 
no arms, no knife, no means of making a fire. The 
first night out he plucked a quantity of grass, covered 
himself with that, and slept through the night. On 
the following day he journeyed eastward, and late in 
the evening saw, only a mile from him, two horsemen 
rapidly riding to the east. They were near enough so 
that he could see that they belonged to his party. He 
raced after them, shouted, waved his shirt, and did 
everything possible to attract their attention, but they 
did not see him. By this time his moccasins had 
absolutely gone to pieces, and this night the labor of 
pulling the grass cut his hands. It was two days since 
he had eaten. Birds and deer were numerous, and 
close to him fish were seen in the waters, but he could 
not catch them. That night, however, he found an 
abundant supply of cherries, which gave him a hearty 
supper; but the howling of wolves and "growling of 
bears" kept him awake much of the night. The fol- 
lowing day he looked for horse tracks, and at night re- 
turned to the place where he had slept before. His 
feet were now so much lacerated by prickly-pears and 
the stones over which he had walked, that he was 
obliged to make bandages for them from the legs of his 



Ross Cox 315 

trousers. His fear of wolves and bears grew; and per- 
haps the man's weak condition tempted the animals, 
for he tells us that they came quite close to him. As he 
wandered on, he occasionally saw horse tracks, but 
always old, yet showing that there were people in the 
country. On the night of the 25th, he found no water, 
and as he was about to He down to sleep, he found that 
he was surrounded by snakes of every kind. *'This was 
a peculiarly, soul-trying moment," he tells us. "I had 
tasted no fruit since the morning before, and after a 
painful day's march under a burning sun, could not 
procure a drop of water to allay my feverish thirst. I 
was surrounded by a murderous brood of serpents, and 
ferocious beasts of prey; and without even the con- 
solation of knowing when such misery might have a 
probable termination. I might truly say with the royal 
psalmist that 'the snares of death compassed me round 
about.' " But he lived through it. All the next day 
he travelled without water, and when at night he 
came to a stream, he was so weak that he fell into it, 
and was almost carried away, but caught himself by 
an overhanging bough and regained the shore. Here 
he found food and ate it eagerly. "On looking about 
for a place to sleep, I observed lying on the ground the 
hollow trunk of a large pine, which had been destroyed 
by lightning. I retreated into the cavity; and having 
covered myself completely with large pieces of loose 
bark, quickly fell asleep. My repose was not of long 
duration; for at the end of about two hours I was 
awakened by the growling of a bear, which had re- 



3i6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

moved part of the bark covering and was leaning over 
me with his snout, hesitating as to the means he should 
adopt to dislodge me; the narrow hmits of the trunk 
which confined my body prevented him from mak- 
ing the attack with advantage, I instantly sprang up, 
seized my stick, and uttered a loud cry, which startled 
him, and caused him to recede a few steps; when he 
stopped and turned about apparently doubtful whether 
he would commence an attack. He determined on an 
assault; but feehng that I had not sufficient strength 
to meet such an unequal enemy, I thought it prudent 
to retreat, and accordingly scrambled up an adjoining 
tree. My flight gave fresh impulse to his courage, and 
he commenced ascending after me. I succeeded, how- 
ever, in gaining a branch, which gave me a decided 
advantage over him; and from which I was enabled 
to annoy his muzzle and claws in such a manner with 
my stick as effectually to check his progress. After 
scraping the bark some time with rage and disappoint- 
ment, he gave up the task, and retired to my late dormi- 
tory, of which he took possession. The fear of falling 
off, in case I was overcome by sleep, induced me to 
make several attempts to descend; but each attempt 
aroused my ursine sentinel; and, after many ineffectual 
efforts, I was obliged to remain there during the rest of 
the night. I fixed myself in that part of the trunk from 
which the principal grand branches forked, and which 
prevented me from falling during my fitful slumbers. 
A little after sunrise, the bear quitted the trunk, shook 
himself, 'cast a longing, lingering look' toward me, and 



Ross Cox 317 

slowly disappeared in search of his morning repast. 
After waiting some time, apprehensive of his return, I 
descended and resumed my journey through the woods." 
A few hours later Cox came upon a well-beaten horse- 
trail, with fresh tracks both of hoofs and human feet. 
Following this he came that evening to a spot where 
the party had camped the preceding night; and about 
a large fire which was still burning found the half- 
picked bones of grouse and ducks, on which he made 
a hearty meal, the first flesh he had tasted in a long 
time. For two days more he followed the trail, on the 
second day finding fruit. The tracks grew constantly 
fresher, but the bandages of his feet were constantly 
wearing out, and, with the exception of his shirt, he 
was almost naked. At evening he came to a fork in 
the trail, with fresh tracks on both branches. One led 
up a hill, the other into a valley. Cox took the upper 
one, but as it was growing dark, feared that he might 
not find water at night, and turned back and followed 
the trail into the valley. Before he had gone far he 
thought he heard the neighing of a horse, and hurrying 
onward, before long he saw several horses feeding in a 
meadow on the other side of a stream. He crossed, and 
one of the horses approached him, and to the weak and 
starving man the good beast looked like a real friend. 
A little farther on he saw smoke, and then two women 
appeared, who at sight of him fled to a shelter at the 
farther end of the meadow. From this at once emerged 
two men, who came running toward him in the most 
friendly manner. They carried him in their arms to 



3i8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

their home; washed and dressed his wounds, roasted 
some roots and boiled salmon for him. In fact, they 
treated him as if he had been a relation rather than a 
stranger. The men talked with him in signs, and gave 
him to understand that they knew who he was, and that 
he had been lost and that they with other Indians and 
white men had been searching for him. To a man who 
had been wandering in the desert for fourteen days, the 
sight of these Indians, and the harsh, guttural sounds 
by which they expressed their thoughts, were perfectly 
delightful. Full, warm, and clad, for the first time in 
two weeks, he slept that night as he had never slept 
before. 

The next day the men took him in a canoe across the 
Coeur d'Alene River, and having given him deer-skin 
clothing, they set off on horseback to the eastward. 

After seven hours they came to where some of the 
Canadians were at work getting wood. Francois 
Gardepie joined them just before they reached the 
tents, and taking Cox for an Indian, spoke to him. It 
was not until he replied in French that he recognized 
him, and there was much rejoicing in all the camp when 
he joined his people. The party had supposed that he 
had long perished; for considering his youth and his 
inexperience in the Indian country, the oldest voyageurs 
had given him up after the sixth day. 



CHAPTER XX 

ROSS COX 

II 

IT was October 17, the anniversary of the sailing 
from New York of the "Beaver," that Cox and 
Farnham set out on their trading expedition to 
the Flatheads, and on the loth of November they 
reached the small village of these people. They were 
charmed with their frank and hospitable reception, and 
with the superiority in cleanliness of these Indians over 
other tribes that they had seen. They determined to 
remain here for a while, and began the building of a 
log house in which to winter. Meantime the Indians 
kept coming in, and they made quite a trade in beaver. 
In December, Cox, having had a good canoe built of 
cedar planks, took leave of Farnham, and with six 
men set out to descend the river to Spokane, which was 
reached about New Year's day. 

During a trip to the Flatheads, Cox witnessed an ex- 
traordinary display of fortitude by a Blackfoot prisoner 
whom they were torturing. It is a graphic picture of 
the savage cruelty of the savage man, and is far too 
horrible to print. An effort was made by the traders 

319 



320 Trails of the Pathfinders 

to put an end to these tortures, and the Flatheads were 
induced to set free, and send away to their people, a 
number of Blackfeet women. To these prisoners, now 
being set free, it was explained that torture between 
the tribes ought to cease, and as they were turned loose 
unharmed, it was hoped that they would persuade 
their people on the prairies to abstain in future from 
torturing Flathead captives. Cox is enthusiastic about 
the attractiveness of the Flatheads. It was here that 
he was successfully treated for rheumatism by an old 
Indian doctor; the cure being a morning bath in the 
river, now frozen over, through a hole in the ice, fol- 
lowed by rubbing of the affected parts by the old doctor. 
After twenty-five days of the treatment the trouble had 
entirely disappeared. 

In August, 1814, a party of sixty men, including pro- 
prietors and clerks, left Fort George to go up the river 
with trade goods. On the way they met some Indians, 
who attempted to steal various small articles, and were 
warned to stop it, but paid no attention to the orders. 
Three caught in the act of pilfering were flogged. At 
night the party was attacked by Indians, and a Canadian 
was killed. There were many narrow escapes. Pass- 
ing up the river they met with the Walla Wallas, who 
received them in their usual friendly way. A little later 
the party separated, the division to which Cox was 
assigned going to Spokane House, where the Indians, 
who had expended all their ammunition, received them 
with great joy. An amusing sketch is given of the per- 
sonality and character of the Scotchman, McDonald, 



Ross Cox 321 

celebrated for his great size, his flaming red hair, and 
his daring bravery. A small tribe of Indians were 
camped between an immense fall in the Columbia, 
known as La Chaudiere, and Spokane House; their 
chief was a philosopher, frugal, thrifty, opposed to 
gambling, and so in many respects different from the 
average Indian. 

In October the various parties returned to Fort 
George with the proceeds of their trade, and on the 
1 8th of November again set out for the interior. Not 
far above the mouth of the Walla Walla they met a 
number of Indians coming down. They stopped the 
first canoes to ask for tobacco, and as they passed the 
last ones, endeavored to take from them some bales 
of goods. The arms 'of the canoemen were not within 
reach, but each of the proprietors or clerks carried his 
arms. Every effort was made to avoid open hostihties. 
The canoemen tried to beat the Indians off with their 
paddles, and the Indians had not yet attempted to use 
their arms. When a tall Indian refused to let go the 
bale of goods that he was trying to take from McDon- 
ald's canoe, M'Kay struck him with the butt end of his 
gun, and obliged him to drop the bale. The Indian in- 
stantly placed an arrow on his bow, which he aimed at 
McDonald, who quickly stretched forth his arm, seized 
the arrow, broke it to pieces, and threw thjem into the 
Indian's face. The Indian, by this time very angry, 
had ordered his canoe to push off, and was just about 
to shoot an arrow at McDonald when M'Kay fired and 
killed him. His two companions were about to use 



322 Trails of the Pathfinders 

their bows, but McDonald, who had a double-barrelled 
gun, shot them both, killing one and severely wounding 
the other. The fight was on, but the Indians threw 
themselves in the bottom of their canoes out of sight, 
and the vessels soon drifted down the river, and out of 
gunshot. The traders at once went ashore and armed 
themselves. The Indians lurked about and shot at 
them, but without effect. Embarking, the white men 
paddled to a narrow island in the river, built breast- 
works, and prepared for defence. The next day the 
wind blew hard, and they were obliged to pass the 
night on the island. Meantime the Indians were signal- 
ing, and canoes could be heard crossing and recrossing 
the river. The spirits of the white men were low, and 
they believed that they were likely all to be killed. The 
next day the traders sent out a flag of truce to the enemy, 
and asked for a talk, being determined to pay the rela- 
tives of the dead for the loss, rather than to have any 
fighting. The Indians refused this, however, and de- 
clared that two white men must be delivered to them 
to be treated as they thought best. One of these white 
men, it was explained, must be McDonald. The offers 
made by the traders had been sufficiently liberal, but 
the sentiment of the savages seemed to be that these 
offers must be refused, and that white men must be 
killed to accompany the dead Indians on their way to 
the home of the dead. After a heated discussion, it 
became evident that there was little hope of a compro- 
mise or of peace. One by one the Indians sulkily drew 
away from the council and joined their friends who were 



Ross Cox 323 

sitting at a distance behind them. Just before the con- 
ference was over, however, it was interrupted by the ar- 
rival of a dozen mounted Indians, who dashed into the 
space between the two parties, and halted there. These 
men were under the leadership of a young chief whose 
courage and wisdom was respected by all the Indians of 
the country. He made a strong plea for a peaceful set- 
tlement of the difficulty, finally declaring that no one 
of the Indiahs should dare to attack the whites. This 
speech put a different look on matters, and the Indians 
presently consented to the proposed compromise, and 
smoked with the traders. The wounded and the rela- 
tives of the dead proved quite willing to accept the pay- 
ments offered, and friendly relations were renewed. 

In May, 18 16, the author found himself once more 
at Okinagan, and this time occupying the chief posi- 
tion there. He at once set to work to rebuild the post, 
where he spent the summer. The point between the 
Okinagan River and the Columbia, where the trading 
post was built, was absolutely free from rattlesnakes, 
although the surrounding country abounded with them. 
The snakes were frequently eaten by the Canadians, 
who skinned them as eels are skinned, and then spitted 
them on a stick run through the body, and roasted them 
before a fire. Cox tells a curious story of the treatment 
by an old Indian of a young woman supposed to have 
consumption. The treatment consisted in killing a dog 
and placing the foot and leg of the patient within the 
newly killed carcass until the flesh became cold. They 
were then taken out and bandaged with warm flannel. 



324 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Besides this, she took daily a small quantity of bark in 
a glass of port-wine. The result was that her condi- 
tion greatly improved; she regained her appetite, and 
in the autumn was strong enough to travel across the 
mountains with her husband. The following summer 
Cox met her at Rainy Lake in the full enjoyment of 
health. Cox also tells of a white man, absolutely dying 
of a decline, who was cured by being placed at short 
intervals in the body of a newly killed horse. After two 
treatments of this kind, at intervals of a few days, he 
began to regain his strength, and by adhering to simple 
and careful living, was finally restored to his ordinary 
health. 

Wolves were very abundant here, and were very 
troubLesome to the horses. "These destructive animals 
annually destroy numbers of horses," Cox writes, "par- 
ticularly during the winter season, when the latter get 
entangled in the snow, in which situation they become 
an easy prey to their light-footed pursuers, ten or fifteen 
of which will often fasten on one animal, and with their 
long fangs in a few minutes separate the head from the 
body. If, however, the horses are not prevented from 
using their legs, they sometimes punish the enemy se- 
verely; as an instance of this, I saw one morning the 
bodies of two of our horses which had been killed the 
night before, and around were lying eight dead and 
maimed wolves; some with their brains scattered about, 
and others with their limbs and ribs broken by the hoofs 
of the furious animals in their vain attempts to escape 
from their sanguinary assailants. 



Ross Cox 325 

"While I was at Spokane I went occasionally to the 
horse prairie, which is nearly surrounded by partially 
wooded hills, for the purpose of watching the manoeu- 
vres of the wolves in their combined attacks. The 
first announcement of their approach was a few shrill 
currish barks at intervals, like the outpost firing of 
skirmishing parties. These were answered by similar 
barking from an opposite direction, until the sounds 
gradually approximated, and at length ceased on the 
junction of the different parties. We prepared our 
guns, and concealed ourselves behind a thick cover. 
In the meantime, the horses, sensible of the approach- 
ing danger, began to paw the ground, snort, toss up 
their heads, look wildly about them, and exhibit all the 
symptoms of fear. One or two stallions took the lead, 
and appeared to await with a degree of comparative 
composure for the appearance of the enemy. 

"The allies at length entered the field in a semi- 
circular form, with their flanks extended for the evi- 
dent purpose of surrounding their prey. They were be- 
tween two and three hundred strong. The horses, on 
observing their movement, knew from experience its 
object, and dreading to encounter so numerous a force, 
instantly turned around and galloped off in a contrary 
direction. Their flight was the signal for the wolves 
to advance; and immediately uttering a simultaneous 
yell, they charged after the fugitives, still preserving 
their crescent form. Two or three of the horses, which 
were not in the best condition, were quickly overtaken by 
the advanced guard of the enemy. The former, find- 



326 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ing themselves unable to keep up with the band, com- 
menced kicking at their pursuers, several of v^^hich re- 
ceived some severe blows; but these being reinforced by 
others, they would have shortly despatched the horses, 
had we not just in time emerged from our place of con- 
cealment and discharged a volley at the enemy's center, 
by which a few were brought down. The whole bat- 
talion instantly wheeled about and fled toward the hills 
in the utmost disorder; while the horses, on hearing 
the fire, changed their course, and galloped up to us. 
Our appearance saved several of them from the fangs 
of their foes; and by their neighing they seemed to ex- 
press their joy and gratitude at our timely interference." 

In portions of the country inhabited by the Walla 
Wallas, Nez Perces, and Shoshones, wild horses were at 
this time very abundant. Sometimes from seven hun- 
dred to a thousand were seen in a band, and persons 
who had crossed the continent by the Missouri route 
told Cox that in the Snake Indian country bands vary- 
ing from three to four thousand were frequently seen. 
The Spaniards at San Francisco informed the traders 
of the Northwest Company that in the year 18 12 they 
were obliged to kill upward of thirty thousand horses 
in California in order to preserve sufficient grass for the 
buffalo. Just what is meant by California in this con- 
nection is uncertain, since it is not known that the 
buffalo were ever found in the California of modern 
times. 

In his description of the horses of the country. Cox 
tells of a ride of seventy-two miles which he made be- 



Ross Cox 327 

tween twelve o'clock in the morning and soon after 
dark, to outstrip some rival traders who were on their 
way to the Flatheads. The Flatheads were out of to- 
bacco, but Farnham, who was in charge of the party, 
felt sure that if a supply of this commodity were brought 
them at once, they would promise their skins to him. 
Cox, riding a splendid horse, known as Le Bleu, 
reached Farnham two hours in advance of his rivals, 
and secured the trade. 

In the summer of 1816 Cox determined to abandon 
Indian trading, and applied to the proprietors for leave, 
which was granted with regret. Nevertheless, he win- 
tered at Okinagan. 

In April, 18 1 7, Cox joined a party of eighty-six men 
who embarked in two barges and nine canoes from 
Fort George to ascend the Columbia. They continued 
up the river with various adventures, seeing Indians 
constantly, but having no trouble with them, and on the 
seventeenth day twenty-three of the party who were to 
cross the Rocky Mountains to the plains left the loaded 
canoes and continued up the Columbia, past Okinagan, 
the mouth of the Spokane River, to Great Kettle Falls. 
Continuing, they passed through the lakes on the Co- 
lumbia. The river grew narrower and narrower, and 
the current swifter, and at length they reached the 
Rocky Mountain portage, where they were to leave 
their canoes. The hard work done on the trip had so 
far exhausted many of the men, that they were now 
practically unable to work; and seven men, six Cana- 
dians and an Englishman, were sent back in the best 



328 Trails of the Pathfinders 

canoe to Spokane House. Only one of them reached 
there alive, having been found by two Indians on the 
borders of the upper lake, and by them transported to 
Spokane House. Now came an overland journey on 
foot, where the nine remaining men were obliged to 
carry loads of about ninety pounds each. The journey 
was very difficult, over steep mountains, across rapid 
streams, and through deep snow fields. On the 31st of 
May they reached two small lakes on the summit of the 
mountains, at which they encamped. From these lakes 
a stream joins a branch of the Columbia River, while 
another, called Rocky Mountain River, empties into 
Peace River, and so takes its way to the Arctic Ocean. 

The next day they reached a beautiful meadow 
ground, where five of the company's horses were found 
grazing, and their pack saddles were placed conspicu- 
ously near a large fire which was still burning. The 
animals had been sent up from Rocky Mountain House 
to meet them. 

The next day, in crossing the Rocky Mountain River, 
a series of accidents happened, by which the first raft 
made was lost, and the second got away, carrying several 
men with it, the result being that the party was now 
separated. From this time on until they reached Rocky 
Mountain House, they did not get together, and there 
was some suffering from hunger and cold. Nor was 
their situation much better at Rocky Mountain House, 
for they were unable there to obtain provisions, the 
people here being themselves on short allowance. On 
the 7th of June they left Rocky Mountain House, and 



Ross Cox 329 

soon entered the Athabasca River, and followed it down 
until they reached Elk River, which they ascended, 
and at last met Alexander Stewart and the Slave Lake 
brigade. From here they proceeded eastward, down 
the Beaver River to Isle a la Crosse, reached the Eng- 
lish River, Cumberland House, and the Saskatchewan, 
and thence went through Lake Winepic to Fort Alex- 
ander and by way of Rat Portage to Rainy Lake and 
Fort William. 

From here eastward their way led through the more 
or less settled country occupied largely by Cana- 
dian farmers. The party continued eastward, until on 
September 19, five months and three days after leav- 
ing the Pacific Ocean, Cox reached Montreal, and his 
journeyings were at an end. 



CHAPTER XXI 
THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES 



AT the end of the sixteenth and during the seven- 
teenth century a Hne of Spanish settlements ran 
from Mexico northward along the Rocky Moun- 
tains, terminating in the important town of Taos. To 
the north, north-east, and north-west of this town were 
other settlements, occupied by the Spaniards and their 
descendants, and the streams and geographical features 
of the country bore Spanish names — almost up to the 
headwaters of the Rio Grande del Norte. North of 
the Arkansas there was a change of tongue, and the 
names were English, or French, given much later by 
American trappers who had pushed westward, or by 
French Canadians and Creoles, who were early voya- 
geurs over the plains. 

Though Taos was an important place, it did not 
equal, either in size or wealth, the town of Santa Fe. 

The first settlements of what is now New Mexico 
were made about the end of the sixteenth century, 
and a colony was established on the Rio del Norte, in 
New Mexico. Agriculture was practised, and mines 
were discovered and worked. The Spaniards, in their 

330 



The Commerce of the Prairies 331 

greed for precious metals, made slaves of the docile 
Indians, and forced them to labor in the mines, under 
circumstances of the greatest severity and hardship. 
Almost a hundred years later, in August, 1680, this ill 
treatment caused the insurrection of the Pueblos, which 
put an end to many a flourishing Spanish settlement, 
and, temporarily, to the country's development. For 
a time the Spaniards were driven out, but it was for 
a time only; a little later they returned, resubdued 
the country, and by the close of the century were 
stronger than ever. Nevertheless, the Pueblo revolt 
was not without its good eff'ect, and during the eigh- 
teenth century the Indians were far better treated than 
they had been before. 

In the year 1806, Captain Zebulon M. Pike crossed 
the plains and reached the city of Santa Fe. His return 
told the inhabitants of the farther west of a country 
beyond the plains where there were towns and people 
who would purchase goods brought to them. Previous 
to this, a merchant of Kaskaskia, named Morrison, 
had sent a French Creole named La Lande up the 
Platte River, directing him to go to Santa Fe to trade; 
but La Lande, though he reached that city, never re- 
turned, nor accounted to his employer for the goods 
that were intrusted to him. James Pursley, an Ameri- 
can, was perhaps the second man to cross these plains, 
and reach the Spanish settlements. When Captain 
Pike returned, the news of these settlements, hitherto 
unknown, created a great interest throughout the slowly 
advancing frontier. 



332 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Expeditions went out to Santa Fe in 1812, but the 
traders were suspected by the New Mexicans of being 
spies, their goods were confiscated, and they themselves 
imprisoned and detained for years, some of them re- 
turning to the United States in 1821. After this, other 
parties went out, and the trading which they did with 
the Spaniards was successful and profitable. More and 
more expeditions set forth, often manned by people who 
were entirely ignorant of the country through which 
they were to pass, and of the hardships which they were 
to face. Some of these died from starvation or thirst, 
or, at the very least, suffered terribly, and often were 
unsuccessful, but about 1822 the trade with Santa Fe 
became established. The distance from the American 
settlements across the plains to Santa Fe was hardly 
half that from Vera Cruz to Santa Fe, and there was 
great profit in the trade; but it was not without its 
dangers. Indians were constantly met with, and many 
of the traders did not understand how to treat them. 
Some traders were robbed; others, resisting harshly 
and sometimes killing a savage, were attacked, robbed 
of their animals, and occasionally lost a man. 

Among the interesting records of the plains of these 
early times is Josiah Gregg's Commerce of the Prairiesy 
or the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, During Eight 
Expeditions Across the Great Western Prairies. 

Gregg, an invalid, made his first trip across the plains 
on the advice of his physician. The effect of his 
journey was to re-establish his health and to beget in 
him a passion for prairie life. He soon became in- 



The Commerce of the Prairies 333 

terested, as a proprietor, in the Santa Fe trade, and for 
eight successive years continued to follow this business. 
The period covered by his volumes is from 1831 to 
1840, during v^hich time the trade was at its height. 

The caravan with which Gregg started, set out with 
near a hundred wagons, of which one-half were hauled 
by oxen and the remainder by mules. The very night 
that they left Council Grove their cattle stampeded, but 
being corralled within the circle of wagons, did not 
escape. 

Having a large company, it was natural that there 
should be among it a number of people who were con- 
stantly seeing dangers that did not exist. They had 
been out but a short time when, "Alarms now began to 
accumulate more rapidly upon us. A couple of per- 
sons had a few days before been chased to the wagons 
by a band of — buffalo; and this evening the encamp- 
ment was barely formed when two hunters came bolt- 
ing in with information that a hundred, perhaps of the 
same 'enemy' were at hand — at least this was the cur- 
rent opinion afterward. The hubbub occasioned by 
this fearful news had scarcely subsided, when another 
arrived on a panting horse, crying out 'Indians! Ind- 
ians! I've just escaped from a couple, who pursued 
me to the very camp ! ' 'To arms! to arms!' resounded 
from every quarter — and just then a wolf, attracted by 
the fumes of broiling buffalo bones, sent up a most 
hideous howl across the creek. 'Some one in distress!' 
was instantly shouted: 'To his relief!' vociferated the 
crowd; and off they bolted, one and all, arms in hand. 



334 Trails of the Pathfinders 

hurly-burly, leaving the camp entirely unprotected, so 
that had an enemy been at hand indeed, and approaehed 
us from the opposite direction, they might easily have 
taken possession of the wagons. Before they had re- 
turned, however, a couple of hunters came in and 
laughed very heartily at the expense of the first alarmist, 
whom they had just chased into the camp." 

While baseless Indian scares were common, they 
sometimes had genuine frights, as in the case of a large 
body of Indians met on the Cimarron River. On this 
occasion, "It was a genuine alarm — a tangible reality. 
These warriors, however, as we soon discovered, were 
only the vanguard of a 'countless host,' who were by 
this time pouring over the opposite ridge, and gallop- 
ing directly toward us. 

"The wagons were soon irregularly 'formed' upon 
the hillside: but in accordance with the habitual care- 
lessness of caravan traders, a great portion of the men 
were unprepared for the emergency. Scores of guns 
were 'empty,' and as many more had been wetted by 
the recent showers, and would not 'go off.' Here was 
one calling for balls; another for powder; a third for 
flints. Exclamations, such as, 'I've broken my ram- 
rod!' — 'I've spilt my caps!' — 'I've rammed down a 
ball without powder!' — 'My gun is choked; give me 
yours!' — were heard from different quarters; while a 
timorous 'greenhorn' would perhaps cry out: 'Here, 
take my gun, you can outshoot me!' The more daring 
bolted off to encounter the enemy at once, while the 
timid and cautious took a stand with presented rifle 



The Commerce of the Prairies ^^^ 



behind the wagons. The Indians, who were in ad- 
vance, made a bold attempt to press upon us, which 
came near costing them dearly, for some of our fiery 
backwoodsmen more than once had their rusty, but 
unerring, rifles directed upon the intruders, some of 
whom would inevitably have fallen before their deadly 
aim, had not some of the more prudent traders inter- 
posed. The Indians made demonstrations no less hos- 
tile, rushing, with ready sprung bows, upon a portion 
of our men who had gone in search of water, and mis- 
chief would, perhaps, have ensued, had not the im- 
petuosity of the warriors been checked by the wise men 
of the nation. 

"The Indians were collecting around us, however, 
in such great numbers, that it was deemed expedient 
to force them away, so as to resume our march, or at 
least to take a more advantageous position. Our com- 
pany was therefore mustered and drawn up in Mine of 
battle'; and, accompanied by the sound of a drum and 
fife, we marched toward the main group of the Indians. 
The latter seemed far more delighted than frightened 
with this strange parade and music, a spectacle they 
had, no doubt, never witnessed before, and perhaps 
looked upon the whole movement rather as a compli- 
mentary salute than a hostile array, for there was no 
interpreter through whom any communication could 
be conveyed to them. But, whatever may have been 
their impressions, one thing is certain — that the prin- 
cipal chief (who was dressed in a long red coat of 
strouding, or coarse cloth) appeared to have full con- 



336 Trails of the Pathfinders 

fidence in the virtues of his calumet, which he lighted, 
and came boldly forward to meet our war-like corps, 
serenely smoking the 'pipe of peace.' Our captain, 
now taking a whiff with the savage chief, directed him 
by signs to cause his warriors to retire. This most of 
them did, to rejoin the long train of squaws and pa- 
pooses with the baggage, who followed in the rear, and 
were just then seen emerging from beyond the hills." 

It was estimated that there were not less than two or 
three thousand of these Indians, who were supposed 
to be Blackfeet and Gros Ventres. They remained for 
some days in the neighborhood of the train, and kept 
the traders on tenterhooks of anxiety, lest there should 
be an attack, or a wholesale driving off of cattle. Later 
there were talks — or at least friendly meeting — and 
giving of presents; and finally, the Indians moved away 
without doing any harm. It was but a day or two 
later, however, when some Comanches had a skirmish 
with the train, but without evil results to either party. 

It was not long after this that the train, still journey- 
ing westward, saw evidence of their approach to the 
Spanish settlements. On the 5th of July, as they 
were proceeding after the celebration of the day before, 
they met a Mexican cibolero, or buffalo hunter, one of 
those hardy wanderers of the plains, who used to vent- 
ure out from the Spanish settlements to secure dried 
buffalo meat, killing buffalo and trading with the Ind- 
ians. These wanderers made long journeys, which 
often extended as far as the country claimed and occu- 
pied by Crows, Cheyennes, and Pawnees. Perfectly ac- 



The Commerce of the Prairies 337 

customed to the life of the plains, armed with gun and 
lance, and bow and arrows, they were not less free 
than the aboriginal inhabitants, whose methods in 
many ways they imitated, and whose blood many of 
them shared. Like the Indians, these buffalo hunters 
killed their game chiefly with the arrow and the lance, 
and drying its flesh, packed it on their mules, or in 
their ox-carts, and carried it back to the settlements to 
trade. 

It was not very long after, that Gregg, leaving the 
train and pushing ahead with others, found himself in 
the city of Santa Fe. He was much impressed by the 
new country, inhabited by a race as different as pos- 
sible from those whom he had left in his Eastern home. 
He was a close observer and records interestingly much 
of what he saw. 

The wild tribes are described — the Navajoes, 
Apaches, Yutas, and Caiguas, or Kiawas. Much is said 
of the raids of the Apaches and the terror in which they 
kept the inhabitants of the towns, as well as the Mexi- 
can troops stationed there to protect these inhabitants. 
The savage butchery of a lot of Apaches by a troop of 
men, under an American leader, may perhaps be the 
incident which has given rise to many similar tales 
concerning the similar slaughters of the olden times. 
It seems there was a celebrated Apache chief, called 
Juan Jose, whose cunning and audacity had caused him 
to be feared throughout the whole country. The gov- 
ernment of Sonora had announced that all booty taken 
from the savages under his command should be the 



338 Trails of the Pathfinders 

property of those who took it. "Accordingly, in the 
spring of 1837 a party of some twenty men, composed 
chiefly of foreigners, spurred on by the love of gain, and 
never doubting but the Indians, after so many years of 
successful robberies, must be possessed of a vast amount 
of property, set out with an American as their com- 
mander, who had long resided in the country. In a 
few days they reached a rancheria of about fifty war- 
riors with their families, among whom was the famous 
Juan Jose himself, and three other principal chiefs. 
On seeing the Americans advance, the former at once 
gave them to understand that, if they had come to fight, 
they were ready to accommodate them; but, on being 
assured by the leader that they were merely bent on 
a trading expedition, a friendly interview was imme- 
diately established between the parties. The American 
captain having determined to put these obnoxious chiefs 
to death under any circumstances, soon caused a Ht- 
tle field-piece, which had been concealed from the Ind- 
ians, to be loaded with chain and canister shot, and to 
be held in readiness for use. The warriors were then 
invited to the camp to receive a present of flour, which 
was placed within range of the cannon. While they 
were occupied in dividing the contents of the bag, they 
were fired upon, and a considerable number of their 
party killed on the spot! The remainder were then 
attacked with small arms, and about twenty slain, in- 
cluding Juan Jose and the other chiefs. Those who 
escaped became afterward their own avengers in a man- 
ner which proved terribly disastrous to another party 



The Commerce of the Prairies 339 

of Americans, who happened at the time to be trapping 
on Rio Gila, not far distant. The enraged savages re- 
solved to take summary vengeance upon these unfortu- 
nate trappers, and falHng upon them, massacred them 
every one." 

It is added that: "The Apaches, previous to this 
date, had committed but few depredations upon for- 
eigners (/. e. Americans), restrained either by fear or 
respect. Small parties of the latter were permitted to 
pass the highways of the wilderness unmolested, while 
large caravans of Mexicans suffered frequent attacks." 

It is generally known that the Indians of the plains 
regarded the Mexicans as a different people from the 
dwellers of the United States, and there was even a 
time when a distinction was made between the inhabi- 
tants of the United States and those of the Republic of 
Texas. 

The bounty on scalps, adopted by the Mexican gov- 
ernment in 1837, was one of the many schemes devised 
by the people of the borderland to check the ravages 
of the Indians. By this Proyedo de Guerra a series of 
bounties were paid for scalps, running from one hun- 
dred dollars for the scalp of a full-grown man, down to 
fifty for that of a woman, and twenty-five for that of a 
little child. For a brief time this bounty was paid, 
and Gregg himself saw a scalp brought in on a pole by 
a Mexican officer in command of troops, precisely as 
the Indians, returning from the war-path, used to bring 
their scalps into their home village. 

In 1838, Gregg returned across the plains, meeting 



340 Trails of the Pathfinders 

a few adventures, among which the most important was 
an attack on the train by Indians, who were supposed 
to be Pawnees. The effort was merely to steal their 
horses, which, happily, they saved. 




c •- 



^ 




K 


a. 


X 


5^ 


Q< 


:; 


n 


!S 


fe 












c 


5* 


^^ 


U 


Pi 


■X. 


-f 


hn 


Ch 






i~ 


V 


' - 


?^ 


'^ 


() 


c 


n- 


id 


< 


M4 


> 





CHAPTER XXII 

THE COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES 
II 

IN 1839, after having been only a few months in the 
"States," Gregg was unable to resist his longing 
for the free life of the prairies and began to make 
preparations for another trip to the Mexican settle- 
ments. At that time the ports of Mexico were block- 
aded by French men-of-war, and the demand for goods 
was great, with a prospect of correspondingly high 
prices. Late in April the wagon train, loaded with 
twenty-five thousand dollars' worth of goods, crossed 
the Arkansas, not far from the mouth of the Canadian 
fork. They had not proceeded far before they lost a 
teamster; "a. Cherokee shopkeeper came up to us 
with an attachment for debt against a free mulatto, 
whom we had engaged as teamster. The poor fellow 
had no alternative but to return with the importunate 
creditor, who committed him at once to the care of 
'Judge Lynch' for trial. We ascertained afterward 
that he had been sentenced to 'take the benefit of the 
bankrupt law' after the manner of the Cherokees of 
that neighborhood. This is done by stripping and 
tying the victim to a tree; when each creditor, with a 

341 



342 Trails of the Pathfinders 

good cowhide or hickory switch in his hand, scores the 
amount of the bill due upon his bare back. One stripe 
for every dollar due is the usual process of 'whitewash- 
ing'; and as the application of the lash is accompanied 
by all sorts of quaint remarks, the exhibition affords 
no small merriment to those present, with the exception, 
no doubt, of the delinquent himself. After the ordeal 
is over, the creditors declare themselves perfectly satis- 
fied: nor could they, as is said, ever be persuaded 
thereafter to receive one red cent of the amount due, 
even if it were offered to them. As the poor mulatto 
was also in our debt, and was perhaps apprehensive 
that we might exact payment in the same currency, he 
never showed himself again." 

The leaders of the party just setting out were well 
armed with Colt's repeating rifles and revolvers, and 
carried, besides, two small cannon. Among the men 
were a number of young fellows from the East, most of 
them quite without prairie experience. They had not 
been many days out when one of the party, out hunting, 
became lost, and not returning at night, muskets were 
fired to guide him to camp; but he imagined that the 
firing was done by hostile Indians, and fled from the 
sound. Finally, according to his statement, he was 
attacked during the night by a panther, which he suc- 
ceeded in beating off with the butt of his gun. It was 
imagined, however, from the peculiar odor with which 
the shattered gun was still redolent when he reached 
camp, that the "painter" that he had driven off was not 
many degrees removed in affinity from a skunk. 



The Commerce of the Prairies 343 

When the train reached the north fork of the Cana- 
dian, they met with a considerable camp of Comanches, 
with whom they had some friendly intercourse. With 
them was a body of United States Dragoons, under 
Lieutenant Bowman, to whom had been intrusted the 
task of trying to make peace with the Comanches, and 
so protecting the settlements of the border. Among 
these Comanches were a number of Mexican captives 
— ^women, boys, and small children — of whom Gregg 
notes that a number of them were still well able to 
speak Spanish. In other words, their captivity had 
been so short that they had a clear memory of the 
events of earlier Hfe. An effort was made to purchase 
several of these captives, in order to return them to 
their homes. Most of them, however, were unwill- 
ing to go, and for a variety of reasons; one of the 
lads, only ten or twelve years old, explaining that 
by his Hfe among the Indians he had become "now 
too much of a brute to live among Christians." One 
lad Gregg did purchase, and was repaid by much 
gratitude. 

It was near the Canadian River, which they had now 
reached, that a small party of Americans experienced 
terrible suffering in the winter of 1832 and '33. "The 
party," Gregg says, "consisted of twelve men, chiefly 
citizens of Missouri. Their baggage and about ten 
thousand dollars in specie were packed upon mules. 
They took the route of the Canadian River, fearing to 
venture on the northern prairies at that season of the 
year. Having left Santa Fe in December, they had 



344 Trails of the Pathfinders 

proceeded without accident thus far, when a large body 
of Comanches and Kiawas were seen advancing tow- 
ard them. Being well acquainted with the treacherous 
and pusillanimous disposition of those races, the traders 
prepared at once for defence; but the savages having 
made a halt at some distance, began to approach one 
by one, or in small parties, making a great show of 
friendship all the while, until most of them had col- 
lected on the spot. Finding themselves surrounded in 
every direction, the travellers now began to move on, 
in hopes of getting rid of the intruders; but the latter 
were equally ready for the start, and, mounting their 
horses, kept jogging on in the same direction. The 
first act of hostility perpetrated by the Indians proved 
fatal to one of the American traders named Pratt, who 
was shot dead while attempting to secure two mules 
which had become separated from the rest. Upon this, 
the companions of the slain man immediately dis- 
mounted and commenced a fire upon the Indians, which 
was warmly returned, whereby another man of the 
name of Mitchell was killed. 

" By this time the traders had taken off their packs 
and piled them around for protection; and now fall- 
ing to work with their hands, they very soon scratched 
out a trench deep enough to protect them from the 
shot of the enemy. The latter made several desperate 
charges, but they seemed too careful of their own per- 
sonal safety, notwithstanding the enormous superiority 
of their numbers, to venture too near the rifles of the 
Americans. In a few hours all the animals of the traders 



The Commerce of the Prairies 345 

were either killed or wounded, but no personal damage 
was done to the remaining ten men, with the exception 
of a wound in the thigh received by one, which was not 
at the time considered dangerous. 

"During the siege, the Americans were in great dan- 
ger of perishing from thirst, as the Indians had com- 
plete command of all the water within reach. Starva- 
tion was not so much to be dreaded, because, in cases 
of necessity, they could live on the flesh of their slain 
animals, some of which lay stretched close around 
them. After being pent up for thirty-six hours in this 
horrible hole, during which time they had seldom vent- 
ured to raise their heads above the surface without 
being shot at, they resolved to make a bold sortie in the 
night, as any death was preferable to the death that 
awaited them there. As there was not an animal left 
that was at all in a condition to travel, the owners of 
the money gave permission to all to take and appro- 
priate to themselves whatever amount each man could 
safely undertake to carry. In this way they started 
with a few hundred dollars, of which but little ever 
reached the United States. The remainder was buried 
deep in the sand, in hope that it might escape the cu- 
pidity of the savages, but to very little purpose, for they 
were afterward seen by some Mexican traders making 
a great display of specie, which was without doubt 
taken from this unfortunate cache. 

"With every prospect of being discovered, overtaken 
and butchered, but resolved to sell their lives as dearly 
as possible, they at last emerged from their hiding- 



346 Trails of the Pathfinders 

place, and moved on silently and slowly until they 
found themselves beyond the purlieus of the Indian 
camps. Often did they look back in the direction 
where three to five hundred savages were supposed to 
watch their movements, but, much to their astonish- 
ment, no one appeared to be in pursuit. The Indians, 
believing, no doubt, that the property of the traders 
would come into their hands, and having no amateur 
predilection for taking scalps at the risk of losing their 
own, appeared willing enough to let the spoliated ad- 
venturers depart without further molestation. 

"The destitute travellers, having run themselves short 
of provisions, and being no longer able to kill game 
for want of materials to load their rifles, they were very 
soon reduced to the necessity of sustaining life upon 
roots and the tender bark of trees. After travelling 
for several days in this desperate condition, with lac- 
erated feet, and utter prostration of mind and body, 
they began to disagree among themselves about the 
route to be pursued, and eventually separated into two 
distinct parties. Five of these unhappy men steered 
a westward course, and after a succession of suffer- 
ings and privations which almost surpassed belief, they 
reached the settlements of the Creek Indians, near the 
Arkansas River, where they were treated with great 
kindness and hospitality. The other five wandered 
about in the greatest state of distress and bewilderment, 
and only two finally succeeded in getting out of the 
mazes of the wilderness." Mooney, Kiowa Calendar, 
p. 255, gives the account of this occurrence from Kiowa 



The Commerce of the Prairies 347 

sources. They say that one Indian, Black Wolf, was 
killed in the fight. 

After many difficulties, Gregg reached Santa Fe 
again, and prepared to start south for Chihuahua, 
where a better market for his goods was expected. 
They crossed the famous Jornada del Muerto, and 
reached El Paso del Norte, and at last Chihuahua. 
Here was a country devoted to cattle raising; the herds, 
according to Gregg, being almost as numerous as those 
of the buffalo on the northern plains. Some time was 
devoted to journeying through northern Mexico. 

On his return to Santa Fe, Gregg, having ordered 
his men to "rope a beef" for food, from the herds 
which covered the plains, got into trouble with the 
Mexican authorities, and was greatly delayed, being 
taken back to Chihuahua and tried for his offence, but 
acquitted on the ground of ignorance of the laws and 
the customs of the country. 

Shortly before they reached the Staked Plains, on 
their return, they were attacked by a war-party of 
Pawnees on foot, who succeeded in running off a few 
of the horses and in wounding two or three men. 
Their Comanche guide took them safely across the 
plains, until at last they reached the Canadian River. 
Gregg relates of the wind of the prairie: "It will 
often blow a gale for days, and even weeks together, 
without slacking for a moment, except occasionally at 
night. It is for this reason, as well as on account of 
the rains, that percussion guns are preferable upon the 
prairies, particularly for those who understand their 



348 Trails of the Pathfinders 

use. The winds are frequently so severe as to sweep 
away both sparks and priming from a flintlock, and 
thus render it wholly ineffective." 

While following down the Canadian they found buf- 
falo very abundant, and the gentleness and lack of 
suspicion of the animal is noted. "On one occasion, 
two or three hunters, who were a little in advance of 
the caravan, perceiving a herd quietly grazing in an 
open glade, they 'crawled upon' them after the manner 
of the 'still-hunters,* Their first shot having brought 
down a fine fat cow, they slipped up behind her, and 
resting their guns over her body, shot two or three 
others, without occasioning any serious disturbance or 
surprise to their companions; for, extraordinary as it 
may appear, if the buffalo neither see nor smell the 
hunter, they will pay but little attention to the crack of 
guns, or to the mortality which is being dealt among 
them." 

Gregg's praiseworthy reflections on the wanton killing 
of the buffalo are made in entire good faith, yet only 
a day or two later he frankly confesses to some un- 
necessary killing that he did himself. He says of the 
excessive destruction: "The slaughter of these animals 
is frequently carried to an excess, which shows the de- 
pravity of the human heart in very bold relief. Such 
is the excitement that generally prevails at the sight of 
these fat denizens of the prairies, that very few hunters 
appear able to refrain from shooting as long as the 
game remains within reach of their rifles; nor can they 
ever permit a fair shot to escape them. Whether the 



The Commerce of the Prairies 349 

mere pleasure of taking life is the incentive of these 
brutal excesses, I will not pretend to decide; but one 
thing is very certain, that the buffalo killed on these 
prairies far exceeds the wants of the travellers; or what 
might be looked upon as the exigencies of rational 
sport." In a foot-note he adds: "The same barbarous 
propensity is observable in regard to wild horses. Most 
persons appear unable to restrain this wanton inclina- 
tion to take Hfe, when a mustang approaches within 
rifle shot. Many a stately steed thus falls a victim to 
the cruelty of man.'* 

In April, 1840, Gregg reached the end of his journey 
— his last trip upon the plains. He was as susceptible 
as other men have shown themselves to the attractions 
of the free life of the prairie, its "sovereign indepen- 
dence"; but acknowledges the disadvantages which 
follow an almost entire separation from one's fellow- 
men. Nevertheless, "Since that time," he says, "I 
have striven in vain to reconcile myself to the even tenor 
of civilized life in the United States; and have sought 
in its amusements and its society a substitute for those 
high excitements which have attached me so strongly 
to prairie life. Yet I am almost ashamed to confess 
that scarcely a day passes without my experiencing a 
pang of regret that I am not now roving at large upon 
those Western plains. Nor do I find my taste peculiar; 
for I have hardly known a man who has ever become 
familiar with the kind of life which I have led for so 
many years, that has not relinquished it with regret." 

In his account of animals of the prairies, Gregg 



350 Trails of the Pathfinders 

names first the mustang; and here we find one of the 
earliest mentions of a traditional wild horse, which has 
come down in many a story. 

"The beauty of the mustang is proverbial," he writes. 
"One in particular has been celebrated by hunters, of 
which marvellous stories are told. He has been repre- 
sented as a medium-sized stallion of perfect symmetry, 
milk-white, save a pair of black ears — a natural 'pacer/ 
and so fleet, it is said, as to leave far behind every 
horse that had been tried in pursuit of him, without 
breaking his 'pace.* But I infer that this story is some- 
what mythical, from the difficulty which one finds in 
fixing the abiding place of its equine hero. He is 
familiarly known, by common report, all over the great 
prairies. The trapper celebrates him in the vicinity 
of the northern Rocky Mountains; the hunter on the 
Arkansas or in the midst of the plains, while others 
have him pacing at the rate of half a mile a minute on 
the borders of Texas. It is hardly a matter of surprise, 
then, that a creature of such an ubiquitary existence 
should never have been caught. 

"The wild horses are generally well-formed, with 
trim and clean limbs; still their elegance has been much 
exaggerated by travellers, because they have seen them 
at large, abandoned to their wild and natural gaiety. 
Then, it is true, they appear superb indeed; but when 
caught and tamed, they generally dwindle down to 
ordinary ponies. Large droves are very frequently 
seen upon the prairies, sometimes of hundreds together, 
gambolling and curvetting within a short distance of 



The Commerce of the Prairies 351 

the caravans. It is sometimes difficult to keep them 
from dashing among the loose stock of the traveller, 
w^hich w^ould be exceedingly dangerous, for, once to- 
gether, they are hard to separate again, particularly 
if the number of mustangs is much the greatest. It is 
a singular fact, that the gentlest v^agon-horse (even 
though quite fagged with travel), once among a drove 
of mustangs, will often acquire in a few hours all the 
intractable wildness of his untamed companions." 

It is many years since the real mustang has been seen 
on the prairie. To-day his place is taken by the range 
horse, an animal of very different character, though of 
similar habits. Yet, we well recall a time, long before 
the day of the range, and its cattle or horses, when 
journeying through the southern country, little bands 
of mustangs could sometimes be seen. One such, 
which passed once close to our command, was notice- 
able for the presence among its numbers of a gigantic 
mule, which it had picked up from some travelling 
party, and which was now as wild as the horses them- 
selves. 

Naturally, Gregg has much to say about the buffalo, 
and he voices an impression which long had currency, 
and may still be believed by people, that the bulls were 
sentinels and guards for the cows and calves. Speak- 
ing in general terms, he says: **A buffalo cow is about 
as heavy as a common ox, while a large fat bull will 
weigh perhaps double as much. 

"These are very gregarious animals. At some sea- 
sons, however, the cows rather incline to keep to them- 



352 Trails of the Pathfinders 

selves; at other times they are mostly seen in the cen- 
tre of the gang, while the bulls are scattered around, 
frequently to a considerable distance, evidently guard- 
ing the cows and calves. And on the outskirts of the 
buffalo range, we are apt to meet with small gangs of 
bulls alone, a day or two's travel distant, as though 
performing the office of 'pique guards' for the main 
herds." 

In his remarks about the gray wolf and its habits, 
he touches on the question as to whether the big wolf of 
America ever voluntarily attacks man. He says: "I 
have never known these animals, rapacious as they 
are, extend their attacks to man, though they probably 
would, if very hungry, and a favorable opportunity pre- 
sented itself. I shall not soon forget an adventure with 
one of them, many years ago, on the frontier of Mis- 
souri. Riding near the prairie border, I perceived one 
of the largest and fiercest of the gray species, which had 
just descended from the w^est, and seemed famished to 
desperation. I at once prepared for a chase and, being 
without arms, I caught up a cudgel, when I betook me 
valiantly to the charge, much stronger, as I soon dis- 
covered, in my cause than in my equipment. The wolf 
was in no humor to flee, however, but boldly met me 
the full half-way. I was soon disarmed, for my club 
broke upon the animal's head. He then 'laid to' my 
horse's legs, which, not relishing the conflict, gave a 
plunge and sent me whirling over his head, and made 
his escape, leaving me and the wolf at close quarters. 
I was no sooner upon my feet than my antagonist re- 



The Commerce of the Prairies 353 

newed the charge; but, being without weapon, or any 
means of awakening an emotion of terror, save through 
his imagination, I took off my large black hat, and 
using it for a shield, began to thrust it toward his gap- 
ing jaws. My ruse had the desired effect, for, after 
springing at me a few times, he wheeled about and 
trotted off several paces, and stopped to gaze at me. 
Being apprehensive that he might change his mind and 
return to the attack, and conscious that, under the 
compromise, I had the best of the bargain, I very res- 
olutely took to my heels, glad of the opportunity of 
making a draw game, though I had myself given the 
challenge." 

Gregg devotes considerable space to a discussion of 
the aborigines of America, and among these he men- 
tions most of the prairie tribes. He speaks at some 
length of what we now call the civiHzed tribes — that is 
to say, the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, 
and Seminoles. He notes the dreadful evil that liquor 
has created among the Indians, and gives, at the same 
time, a somewhat amusing account of the Legislative 
Council among the Choctaws, where whiskey was ban- 
ished from the nation: "Many and long were the 
speeches which were made, and much enthusiasm was 
created against the monster Svhiskey,' and all his brood 
of compound enormities. Still every one seemed loth 
to move his arrest and execution. Finally, a captain 
of more than ordinary temerity arose, and offered a 
resolution that each and every individual who should 
thenceforth dare to introduce any of the Hquid curse 



354 Trails of the Pathfinders 

into their country, should be punished with a hundred 
lashes on his bare back, and the liquor be poured out. 
This was passed, after some slight changes, by acclama- 
tion; but, with a due sense of the injustice of ex-post- 
facto restrictions, all those who had liquors on hand 
were permitted to sell them. The council adjourned; 
but the members soon began to canvass among each 
other the pernicious consequences which might result 
from the protracted use of the whiskey already in the 
shops, and therefore concluded the quicker it was 
drank up the more promptly would the evil be over: so, 
falling to, in less than two hours Bacchus never mustered 
a drunker troop than were these same temperance 
legislators. The consequences of their determination 
were of lasting importance to them. The law, with 
some slight improvements, has ever since been rigor- 
ously enforced." 

It is interesting to note that the Comanches, while 
bitterly at war with the Mexicans and the Texans, for 
very many years, nevertheless, cultivated peace with the 
New Mexicans, "not only because the poverty of the 
country offers fewer inducements for their inroads, but 
because it is desirable, as with the interior Mexican 
tribes, to retain some friendly point with which to keep 
an amicable intercourse and traffic. Parties of them 
have therefore sometimes entered the settlements of 
New Mexico for trading purposes; while every season 
numerous bands of New Mexicans, known as Coman- 
cheros, su|)plied with arms, ammunition, trinkets, pro- 
visions, and other necessaries, launch upon the prairies 



The Commerce of the Prairies 355 

to barter for mules, and the different fruits of their 
ravages upon the south." 

Gregg's history of these first beginnings of the west- 
ward commerce of the United States is a most valuable 
and interesting repository of the facts of the period. 
It purports to be only a diary of a trader, but actually 
it is history. 



CHAPTER XXIII 
SAMUEL PARKER 

IN the year 1838 there was published In Ithaca, 
N. Y., by the author, the Journal of an Exploring 
Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains , Under the 
Direction of the A. B. C. F. M., Performed in the Years 
1835, '36, and *37; Containing a Description of the 
Geography, Geology, Climate, and Productions; and 
the Number, Manners, and Customs of the Natives. 
With a Map of Oregon Territory. By Rev. Samuel 
Parker, A.M. 

As may be imagined from this title, Mr. Parker was 
a missionary whose business in setting out into the wild 
West was to spread the Gospel. The American Board 
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent him out 
to ascertain by personal observation the condition and 
character of the Indian nations and tribes, and the 
opportunities for introducing the Gospel and civiliza- 
tion among them. He writes in a more or less ponder- 
ous style, and his mind is dominated, as is natural, by 
the missionary idea, to such an extent that his book 
at times even has something of the flavor of some of the 
volumes of the 'Jesuit Relations. 

At St. Louis Mr. Parker met Dr. Marcus Whitman, 

356 



Samuel Parker 357 



appointed by the American Board to be his associate in 
his western explorations, and here the two missionaries 
waited for a time until the caravan which they were to 
accompany should be ready to start. 

Dr. Whitman's name is so closely connected with the 
securing of Oregon Territory by the United States that 
it is hardly necessary to speak of him at any length. 

Before leaving Liberty, Mo., the steamer on which 
they were travelling broke down, and it became neces- 
sary to proceed overland, and they reached Fort Leaven- 
worth early in May, 1835. During the journey Parker 
met with a number of men who, at various times, had 
had close intercourse with the Wichitas or Pawnee 
Picts, Comanches, Navajoes, and Apaches; and from 
all these individuals he heard accounts which made 
him think well of these wild and distant tribes, and of 
their adaptabiHty to Christianity and to civihzed pur- 
suits. He was observant, too, of the local Indians — 
lowas, Sacs, and Foxes — and was favorably impressed 
by all. 

After reaching Council Bluffs there was a long wait 
before the caravan set out on its western journey. 
Much is said of the Indians inhabiting this region, 
Yanktons, Omahas, Poncas, and the more distant 
Mandans; and some hints are given as to the mode of 
Hfe of these tribes. The party travelled up the Platte, 
meeting the usual difficulties and discouragements at- 
tendant on the stormy weather in summer. Much of 
the time they were drenched to the skin. Occasion- 
ally a storm of hail would come, which scattered their 



358 Trails of the Pathfinders 

animals, and much time was devoted to gathering them 
again. Travelling westw^ard, the tw^o Campbells and 
Sublette, with a few men, were met returning from 
the Black Hills. 

The apparently fertile bottom lands of the Platte, 
over which they were travelling, greatly impressed the 
missionary, who prophesied concerning it as follows: 
"No country could be more inviting to the farmer, 
with only one exception — the want of woodland. The 
latitude is sufficiently high to be healthy; and as the 
climate grows warmer as we travel west, until we ap- 
proach the snow-topped mountains, there is a degree 
of mildness not experienced east of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains. The time will come, and probably is not far 
distant, when this country will be covered with a dense 
population. The earth was created for the habitation 
of man, and for a theatre on which God will manifest 
his perfections in his moral government among his 
moral creatures, and therefore the earth, according to 
divine prediction, shall be given to the people of God, 
Although infidels may sneer, and scoffers mock, yet 
God will accompHsh His designs and fulfill every promise 
contained in His Word. Then this amazing extent of 
most fertile land will not continue to be the wandering 
ground of a few thousand Indians, with only a very few 
acres under cultivation; nor will millions of tons of 
grass grow up to rot upon the ground, or to be burned 
up with the fire enkindled to sweep over the prairie, to 
disincumber it of its spontaneous burden. The herds 
of buffalo which once fattened upon these meadows 



Samuel Parker 359 



are gone; and the deer which once cropped the grass 
have disappeared; and the antelopes have fled away; 
and shall solitude reign here till the end of time ? No: 
here shall be heard the din of business, and the church- 
going bell shall sound far and wide." 

Before long the travellers reached the Loup Fork, 
which they crossed; and here they met a number of 
Pawnee Indians, who treated them with great courtesy 
and kindness, and invited them to feast with them. 
Reference is made here to Messrs. Dunbar and Allis, 
and to the missionary work that they were doing 
among the Pawnees. 

From the Pawnee country the party kept on up the 
Platte, through the open country. Here, it seems, those 
Indians most feared were the Arickaras, not the Sioux 
and Cheyennes, as was the case thirty years later. At 
this time that tribe was said to have gone far up the 
south fork of the Platte to avoid the United States 
dragoons, under command of Colonel Dodge, who was 
pursuing them. As Parker's party went up the north 
fork of the Platte, he speaks of "their using particular 
caution to be prepared for an attack of the Arickaras, 
should any of their war parties be about us. Every 
man was required to see that his rifle was in good order, 
and to have a good supply of powder and balls. We 
all slept with our clothes on, so that, if called with the 
sentinels' fire, we might in less than a moment be ready 
for action." 

Here is a word about the animals that they saw next 
day as they journeyed on: 



360 Trails of the Pathfinders 

**Saw, on the i6th, the buffalo in great numbers, and 
in nearer view than previously. They are less shy than 
those we first found. They are more majestic than the 
elk, but less beautiful. The antelopes, some of which 
we have seen for several days past, are becoming very 
numerous. They are rightly named, for their speed ex- 
ceeds any animal I have ever seen. Our hounds can do 
nothing in giving them the chase; so soon are they left 
far in the rear, that they do not follow them more than 
ten or twenty rods before they return, looking ashamed 
of their defeat. Our hunters occasionally take some of 
them by coming upon them by stealth. When they are 
surprised, they start forward a very small space, and 
then turn, and with high-lifted heads stare for a few 
seconds at the object which has alarmed them, and then, 
with a half whistling snuff, bound off, seeming to be as 
much upon wings as upon feet. They resemble the 
goat, but are far more beautiful." 

Court House Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scott's Bluffs 
were duly passed. Some very friendly Ogallallahs were 
met with just before they reached the Laramie River. 
Their camp that night was close to the fort. Here took 
place one of the days of revelry and carousing which 
are so frequently noted in these old books as occurring 
periodically. There were dances by the Indians, and 
other celebrations. Keeping on up the Platte, they 
passed Independence Rock August 7th, and reached the 
Sweetwater. The weather was now growing colder, and 
ice often made during the night. 

On reaching Green River they came to the rendezvous 



Samuel Parker 361 



of the American Fur Company. Who was in command 
Parker does not tell us; but that various well-known per- 
sons were present is certain. For example, "While we 
continued in this place, Dr. Whitman was called to per- 
form some very important surgical operations; he ex- 
tracted an iron arrow three inches long from the back of 
Captain Bridger, which he had received in a skirmish 
three years before with the Blackfeet Indians. It was a 
difficult operation, in consequence of the arrow being 
hooked at the point by striking a large bone, and a 
cartilaginous substance had grown around it. The Dr. 
pursued the operation with great self-possession and per- 
severance, and Captain Bridger manifested equal firm- 
ness. The Indians looked on while the operation was 
proceeding with countenances indicating wonder, and 
when they saw the arrow, expressed their astonishment 
in a manner peculiar to themselves. The skill of Dr. 
Whitman undoubtedly made upon them a favorable im- 
pression. He also took another arrow from under the 
shoulder of one of the hunters which had been there two 
years and a half." 

Here Parker consulted the Flatheads and Nez Perces, 
asking them if they would be willing to receive a minis- 
ter of the Gospel. They needed no persuasion, but 
agreed to allow him to come to them, and so cordial was 
their response, that it seemed best that Dr. Whitman 
should return with the caravan, enlist some more work- 
ers, and return the next year with another caravan, to 
establish a mission among these people. Dr. Whitman 
at first was unwilling to leave his fellow missionary to go 
on alone, but finally did so. 



362 Trails of the Pathfinders 

During another day of drunkenness a fight took place 
at the rendezvous. "A hunter, who goes technically by 
the name of the great bully of the mountains, mounted 
his horse with a loaded rifle, and challenged any French- 
man, American, Spaniard or Dutchman to fight him in 
single combat. Kit Carson, an American, told him if 
he wished to die, he would accept the challenge. Shu- 
nar defied him. Carson mounted his horse, and with a 
loaded pistol rushed into close contact, and both almost 
at the same instant fired. Carson's ball entered Shunar's 
hand, came out at the wrist, and passed through the arm 
above the elbow. Shunar's ball passed over the head 
of Carson, and while he went for another pistol, Shunar 
begged that his Hfe might be spared." 

Parker had arranged to travel on with the Flatheads. 
The chief of these gave him a young man as an assist- 
ant, and Parker secured a voyageur who understood 
English and Nez Perce. Parker and his Indian friends 
started, August 21, in company with Bridger, whose 
way led in the same direction as theirs. Bridger had 
about fifty men. They followed up the stream to Jack- 
son's Hole, and encamped on a small stream which the 
author says is one of the upper branches of the Colum- 
bia River. He says something about the difficulties of 
travel and the narrow passages which it was necessary 
to traverse, and which he calls "kenyans." This term 
is found more or less frequently in these old books by 
persons who seem to have written it down only from 
hearing the word spoken. Near Jackson's Hole he 
climbed one of the high mountains, and was greatly im- 
pressed by what he saw. One day while travelling 



Samuel Parker 363 



through the mountains "a number of buffalo, which 
were pursued by our Indians, came rushing down the 
side of the mountain through the midst of our company. 
One ran over a horse, on the back of which was a 
child, and threw the child far down the descent, but it 
providentially was not materially injured. Another 
ran over a packed horse and wounded it deeply in 
the shoulders." 

Mr. Parker evidently enjoyed the companionship of 
the Indians, whom he seems to have regarded with most 
pleasant feelings. He says: "The Indians are very kind 
to each other, and if one meets with any disaster, the 
others will wait and assist him. Their horses often turn 
their packs and run, plunge and kick, until they free 
themselves from their burdens. Yesterday a horse 
turned his saddle under him upon which a child was fas- 
tened, and started to run, but those near hovered at once 
around with their horses so as to mclose the one to which 
the child was attached, and it was extricated without 
hurt. When I saw the condition of the child, I had no 
expectation that it could be saved alive." 

A little later, still speaking of the children, he says of 
the Indians: "They are so well supplied with horses that 
every man, woman and child are mounted on horseback, 
and all they have is packed upon horses. Small chil- 
dren, not more than three years old, are mounted alone, 
and generally upon colts. They are lashed upon the 
saddle to keep them from falling, and especially when 
they go asleep, which they often do when they become 
fatigued. Then they recline upon the horse's shoulders; 



364 Trails of the Pathfinders 

and when they awake, they lay hold of their whip, which 
is fastened to the wrist of their right hand, and apply it 
smartly to their horses; and it is astonishing to see how 
these little creatures will guide and run them. Children 
which are still younger are put into an encasement made 
with a board at the back, and a wicker-work around the 
other parts, covered with cloth inside and without, or 
more generally with dressed skins; and they are carried 
upon the mother's back, or suspended from a high nob 
upon the fore part of their saddles." 

Still moving westward, early in September they met a 
band of Nez Perces. They came to Parker's camp about 
the middle of the day, "the principal chief marching in 
front with his aid, carrying an American flag by his side. 
They all sung a march, while a few beat a sort of drum. 
As they drew near, they displayed columns, and made 
quite an imposing appearance. The women and chil- 
dren followed in the rear." 

The next day's diary is devoted almost entirely to an 
account of missionary work, in which the author gives 
an extract of the various sermons that he preached to 
the Indians, who received his teachings with great pa- 
tience and interest. By this time the party was out of 
provisions, and all were getting hungry, but no game 
was seen. However, on September 9, buffalo were 
viewed, and preparations were made to chase them. 
All the best hunters chose their swiftest horses, and see- 
ing that their arms were in good order, made ready for 
the run; while Parker did what he could by lifting up 
"my heart in prayer to God, that He would give them 



Samuel Parker 365 



judgment, skill and success. They advanced toward 
the herd of buffalo with great caution, lest they should 
frighten them before they should make a near approach; 
and also to reserve the power of their horses for the chase 
when it should be necessary to bring it into full requisi- 
tion. When the buffalo took the alarm and fled, the 
rush was made, each Indian selecting for himself a cow 
with which he happened to come into the nearest con- 
tact. All were in swift motion scouring the valley; a 
cloud of dust began to arise, firing of guns and shooting 
of arrows followed in close succession; soon here and 
there buffalo were seen prostrated, and the women, who 
followed close in the rear, began the work of securing 
the valuable acquisition, and the men were away again 
in pursuit of the fleeing herd. Those in the chase when 
as near as two rods shoot and wheel, expecting the 
wounded animal to turn upon them. The horses ap- 
peared to understand the way to avoid danger. As 
soon as the wounded animal flies again, the chase is re- 
newed, and such is the alternate wheehng and chasing 
until the buffalo sinks beneath its wounds. They ob- 
tained between fifty and sixty, which was a signal 
mercy." 

Not long after this, the Nez Perces and Flatheads left 
them, wishing to remain in the buffalo range to secure 
their winter's meat. Before going away, however, they 
presented Parker with twenty tongues and a large quan- 
tity of dried meat. About a hundred and fifty of the 
Indians kept on down Salmon River with the mission- 
aries; and not long afterward they had a tremendous 



366 Trails of the Pathfinders 

Indian scare, supposing that they were about to be at- 
tacked by the Blackfeet. A Httle investigation, how- 
ever, showed that what had been seen were buffalo, 
and not Blackfeet, and food again became plenty in the 
camp. 

Parker appears to have been a man of considerable 
attainments. He remarks upon the geology of the 
region he passes through; enumerates the birds and 
mammals which he sees, and has much to say about 
the habits and characteristics of the Indians; and inter- 
spersed through all are frequent references to the Deity, 
His wishes and purposes as interpreted by the mission- 
ary, together with earnest aspirations for the spread of 
the Gospel among the red people. 

Walla Walla was reached early in October, and there, 
at the post of the Hudson's Bay Company, Parker was 
received by Mr. Pambrun with great hospitality. For 
this the guest was very grateful, and he says many good 
words concerning the kindly people and the company 
which they represented; words which are not only good 
but true. 

After a day or two of rest at Walla Walla, the mis- 
sionary started down the river in a canoe with three 
Walla Walla Indians, and before long stopped at a camp 
of Cayuse Indians, with whom, however, he was unable 
to communicate. He noticed that all along the river as 
he passed, the Indians, though of different tribes, 
seemed to be on good terms with one another, a condi- 
tion which was inevitable from the fact that all these 
Indians drew their support from the river, to which 



Samuel Parker 367 



they resorted for salmon, and coming there for pro- 
visions, could not have afforded to fight, even had they 
wished to. 

At the Dalles, Parker met Captain Wyeth, from Bos- 
ton, with whom, it will be remembered, Townsend and 
Nuttall had journeyed westward the year before. A 
little above the Cascades he met the first Chenooks, 
which he denominates "the only real Flatheads and Nez 
Perces, or pierced noses, I have found. They flatten 
their heads and pierce their noses. The flattening of 
their heads is not so great a deformity as is generally 
supposed. From a little above the eyes to the apex or 
crown of the head there is a depression, but not gener- 
ally in adult persons very noticeable. The piercing of 
the nose is more of a deformity, and is done by inserting 
two small tapering white shells, about two inches long, 
somewhat in the shape of a thorn, through the lower part 
of the cartilaginous division of the nose." While fol- 
lowing the trail along the river, he came to a pleasant 
rise of ground, upon which were several houses of a 
forsaken village, which were both larger and far better 
than any he had hitherto seen in any Indian country. 
They were about sixty feet long and thirty-five wide, the 
frame work very well constructed, and covered with split 
planks and cedar bark. These houses thus greatly re- 
semble those seen in recent times on the coast of portions 
of British Columbia. The next day Mr. Parker reached 
Fort Vancouver, the Hudson's Bay post, where Dr. J. 
McLaughlin, a chief factor of the company, received 
him very kindly. From here Parker went on down the 



368 Trails of the Pathfinders 

river, and reached the brig "May Dacre," of Boston, 
belonging to the Wyeth Company. Here he met Dr. 
Townsend, and before long they set sail down the 
river, and reached Astoria, the far-famed New York of 
the West. 

The Indians of the country beyond the Continental 
Divide through which Parker passed, he divides into 
those of the plains, which live in the upper country from 
the falls of the Columbia to the Rocky Mountains, and 
those of the lower country, between the shores of the 
Pacific and the falls of the Columbia River. He ob- 
serves that the first of these divisions are remarkable for 
their cleanliness; that they are well supplied with horses, 
which are very cheap, a good horse selling for not more 
than enough to purchase a blanket or a few small articles 
of merchandise. As to their habits, he declares that the 
Indians of the plains are not lazy, as they are commonly 
supposed to be, for he rarely saw any of those Indians 
without their being engaged in some pursuit. To him 
the Indians appeared as they since have to others — not 
especially different from other people. They have the 
same natural propensities, and the same social affections. 
"They are cheerful and often gay, sociable, kind and 
affectionate; and anxious to receive instruction in what- 
ever may conduce to their happiness here or hereafter.'* 
They have but few manufactures, and those are the 
most plain and simple. 

He calls attention to the fact that these Indians have 
no wars among themselves, and appear averse to all 
wars, not entering into battle except in self-defence. 



Samuel Parker 369 



Their only enemies are the Blackfoot Indians, whose 
country is along the east border of the Rocky 
Mountains, and who are constantly roaming about in 
parties on both sides of the mountains in quest of 
plunder. When the Indians on the West side meet with 
these war parties they endeavor to avoid an encounter, 
but if compelled to fight, "show a firm, undaunted, 
unconquerable spirit, and rush upon their enemies 
with the greatest impetuosity." When an enemy is 
discovered, every horse is driven into camp, and the 
women take charge of them, while every man seizes his 
weapons, mounts his horse, and waits, firm and undis- 
mayed, to see if hostilities must ensue. Very frequently 
when the Blackfeet see white men with the Nez Perces 
and Flatheads, they decline battle, even though they 
themselves may be far superior in numbers, for they 
know that the white man can furnish a large supply 
of ammunition on such occasions. The Nez Perce or 
Flathead chief will accept the pipe, explaining as he 
does so that he knows the Blackfeet mean war, al- 
though they pretend peace. 

The Indians were great gamblers, especially at run- 
ning horses and in foot-races. Drunkenness was a vice 
as yet strange to these Indians, but Parker predicted that 
it would come to them so soon as it was possible to trans- 
port liquor to them. He describes the method of doctor- 
ing by a medicine man, and the practice of the sudatory 
or sweat bath. All this is of the plains Indians. 

Those of the lower country are of less attractive type 
than the others. As their subsistence depends almost 



370 Trails of the Pathfinders 

entirely on fish, they are less well clad, for they have not 
the same opportunity to obtain skins as the people of the 
buffalo country. Liquor had been brought into the 
lower country, and the Indians were slaves to it. 

These Indians believe in the immortality of the soul, 
and that in the future state we shall have the same wants 
as in this life. Thus, in 1829, the wife of an influential 
chief of the Chenooks, near Cape Disappointment, killed 
two female slaves, which should attend her child to the 
world of spirits, and especially should row her canoe to 
the Happy Hunting Ground in the South. 

As the wealth of the upper Indians is estimated in 
their horses, so those of the lower country count their 
property by the number of their wives, slaves, and 
canoes. Special attention is called to the excellent 
canoes which they make, and also to the baskets woven 
so closely as to hold water, and to be used for pails. 
Of course, they were also used as pots in which to cook 
fish and mush. 

After having spent the winter on the Columbia, Parker 
set out in May to revisit the Nez Perces. He reached 
them in a short time, and, as it happened, came to a vil- 
lage just as a little child was being buried. The Ind- 
ians had prepared a cross to be set up at the grave, very 
likely having been taught to do so by some Iroquois Ind- 
ians, of whom there were not a few trapping in the 
country; and here appears the bigotry of the missionary 
of that, and indeed of later days as well, for Parker says: 
" But as I viewed a cross of wood made by men's hands, 
of no avail to benefit either the dead or the living, and far 



Samuel Parker 371 



more likely to operate as a salve to a guilty conscience, 
or a stepping stone to idolatry, than to be understood in 
its spiritual sense to refer to the crucifixion of our sins, 
I took this, which the Indians had prepared, and broke 
it to pieces. I then told them we place a stone at 
the head and foot of the grave only to mark the place; 
and without a murmur they cheerfully acquiesced, and 
adopted our custom." 

Parker appears to have regarded the Nez Perce Ind- 
ians as especially adapted to conversion, and laments 
that he is unable to speak their language, and thus to 
communicate with them directly. Parker was an active 
and conscientious person, and evidently wished to see 
all he could of the country to which he had been sent. 
He set out from the Nez Perces for the Colville coun- 
try, meeting Spokanes, Cayuses, Coeur d'Alenes, and a 
number of other small tribes. Returning, he was un- 
able to get transportation down the Columbia River, 
and was obliged to take horses for Fort Okanagan. 
The journey was long and very dry, and the party suf- 
fered more of less from thirst. At Fort Okanagan he 
took a boat to run down the river four hundred miles to 
Walla Walla, which he reached in safety. Toward the 
end of June he took ship for the Sandwich Islands, and 
in December, 1836, sailed on board the "Phoenix" 
for his home in the East. After a stormy passage he 
reached New London, May 18, and five days later, 
after two years and two months of absence, and jour- 
neyings which covered twenty-eight thousand miles, 
arrived at his home at Ithaca, N. Y. 



CHAPTER XXIV 
THOMAS J. FARNHAM 



A CURIOUS little book, the title-page of which 
bears the date 1841, is Thomas J. Farnham's, 
Travels in the Great Western Prairies ^ The 
Anahuac and Rocky Mountains^ And in The Oregon 
Territory. It was published in Poughkeepsie, N, Y., 
by Killey & Lossing, printers. It contains nearly two 
hundred pages, and is printed in very fine type, and on 
thin paper, with small margins; so that in fact it looks 
more like a tract than a volume. Yet it contains about 
a hundred and twenty thousand words. 

Its title indicates the character of the book. It is the 
narrative of a journey made in order to obtain " a view 
of the Great Prairie Wilderness, the Rocky Mountains, 
and the sweet vales of the Oregon Territory." 

Farnham was one of a party of fourteen men who left 
Peoria, 111., on the first day of May, 1839. The com- 
pany was followed by a wagon containing their provi- 
sions, ammunition, and other baggage, and each man 
carried "a rifle swung at his back; a powder horn, bullet 
pouch and long knife at his side." 

372 



Thomas J. Farnham 373 

Their way westward was marked by no adventure, 
except the usual ones of travel on the prairie; but at 
Quincy the author met Joe Smith, Jr., the father of the 
Mormon prophet, and he interrupts his narrative to give 
a somewhat extended account of Mormonism and the 
history of the Latter Day Saints up to that time. From 
Quincy they passed on to Independence, Mo., twenty 
days out from their starting point. Here the travellers 
beheld a sight novel to them — the breaking of green 
mules to harness; and after some time devoted to loiter- 
ing about Independence, and making preparations for 
their journey, they started westward in a storm. 

Farnham's party followed the track of the Santa Fe 
traders, and, like others who passed over this road, they 
met with the Kauzaus (Kansas) Indians, whom they 
saw and wondered at. Early in the trip, near the Osage 
River, the members of Farnham's company began to 
weary of prairie life, and three of his best men deter- 
mined to return to the "States," and left him. The 
journey continued along the Santa Fe trail, but provis- 
ions began to grow short. Game was seen from time to 
time, but none was killed. Continual storms drenched 
them, wet their packs and their ropes, and made life 
more or less of a burden to them. At last, however, in 
the latter half of June, they came to the buffalo range, 
overtaking there a party of Santa Fe traders. 

Buffalo now began to be found, and the party killed 
their first one, "a. noble bull; a mountain of flesh weigh- 
ing at least three thousand pounds." This relieved 
their necessities, but they were anxious, because of the 



374 Trails of the Pathfinders 

prospect of soon meeting Indians — Caws, Pawnees, or 
Comanches, or all three. And now, to make things 
worse, one of the men of the party accidentally shot him- 
self with his own rifle. For a day or two he was carried 
in one of the wagons belonging to the Santa Fe caravan, 
but presently Farnham's party turned off from this trail, 
and then the wounded man was obliged either to ride a 
horse or travel in a litter. Experiment soon showed, 
however, that the last method of travelling was imprac- 
ticable, and it was necessary for the man to ride. His 
wound became inflamed and painful, but the constant 
care of the author made life much easier for the wounded 
man. "June 23, the buffalo were more numerous than 
ever. They were ranged in long Hnes from the eastern 
to the western horizon. The bulls were forty or fifty 
yards in advance of the bands of cows, to which they 
severally intended to give protection. And as the mov- 
ing embankment of wagons, led by an advanced guard, 
and flanked by horsemen riding slowly from front to 
rear, and guarded in the rear by men, made its majestic 
way along, these fiery cavaliers would march each to his 
own band of dames and misses, with an air that seemed 
to say, 'we are here'; and then back again to their lines, 
with great apparent satisfaction, that they were able to 
do battle for their sweet ones and their native plains." 
Farnham says that during three days they passed over 
a country so completely covered by buffalo that it ap- 
peared oftentimes dangerous even for the immense 
cavalcade of the Santa Fe traders to attempt to break 
its way through them. He figures that they travelled 



Thomas J. Farnham 375 

over one thousand three hundred and fifty square miles 
of territory so thickly covered with buffalo that, when 
viewed from a height, it scarcely afforded a sight of a 
square league of its surface. Soon after this, disaffec- 
tion showed itself in the ranks of Farnham's company, 
and it was proposed to abandon the wounded man, the 
mutineers declaring that he would die in any event, and 
that it was not worth while to delay the whole party to 
await that event. 

Now, too, a jealousy as to the command arose. There 
was a bully who determined to frighten Farnham into 
abdicating the leadership of the party in his favor. 

At last they reached Fort William, or Bent's Fort, on 
the Arkansas, and on account of the differences which 
had sprung up within the party, it was decided to dis- 
band here. The property owned in common was to be 
divided up among the members of the expedition, and 
they were to go their several ways. As it turned out, 
Farnham and a few others went on together. 

" Fort William," he says, " is owned by three brothers 
by the name of Bent, from St. Louis. Two of them 
were at the post when we arrived there. They seemed 
to be thoroughly initiated into Indian life; dressed like 
chiefs; in moccasins, thoroughly garnished with beads 
and porcupine quills; in trousers of deerskin, with long 
fringes of the same extending along the outer seam from 
the ankle to the hip; in the splendid hunting shirt of the 
same material, with sleeves fringed on the elbow-seam 
from the wrist to the shoulder, and ornamented with 
figures of porcupine quills of various colors, and leathern 



376 Trails of the Pathfinders 

fringe around the lower edge of the body. And chiefs 
they were in the authority exercised in their wild and 
lonely fortress." 

The country in which the fort was situated was then 
the common hunting-ground of several buffalo tribes, 
unfriendly alike to one another and the whites. The 
Utaws and Cheyennes, the Pawnees and the Comanches 
gathered here in summer to hunt the buffalo; and thus, 
in the neighborhood of the post, there might be from 
fifteen to twenty thousand savages, "ready and panting 
for plunder and blood." If the Indians engaged in fight- 
ing had their own battles among themselves, the people 
of Bent's Fort felt safe; but if the Indians kept the 
peace among themselves, there was great anxiety at Fort 
William. 

" Instances of the daring intrepidity of the Comanches 
that occurred just before and after my arrival here, will 
serve to show the hazard and dangers of which I have 
spoken. About the middle of June, 1839, a band of sixty 
of them under cover of night crossed the river and con- 
cealed themselves among the bushes that grow thickly 
on the bank near the place where the animals of the 
establishment feed during the day. No sentinel being 
on duty at the time, their presence was unobserved, and 
when morning came the Mexican horse guard mounted 
his horse, and with the noise and shouting usual with 
that class of servants when so employed, rushed his 
charge out of the fort; and riding rapidly from side to 
side of the rear of the band, urged them on, and soon 
had them nibbling the short dry grass in the little vale 



Thomas J. Farnham 377 

within grape-shot distance of the guns of the bastions. 
It is customary for a guard of animals about these trad- 
ing posts to take his station beyond his charge; and if 
they stray from each other, or attempt to stroll too far, 
he drives them together, and thus keeps them in the best 
possible situation to be driven hastily to the corral, 
should the Indians, or other evil persons, swoop down 
upon them. And as there is constant danger of this, his 
horse is held by a long rope, and grazes around him, 
that he may be mounted quickly at the first alarm for a 
retreat within the walls. The faithful guard at Bent's, 
on the morning of the disaster I am relating, had dis- 
mounted after driving out his animals, and sat upon the 
ground watching with the greatest fidelity for every call 
of duty; when these fifty or sixty Indians sprang from 
their hiding places, ran upon the animals, yelling hor- 
ribly, and attempted to drive them across the river. 
The guard, however, nothing daunted, mounted quickly, 
and drove his horse at full speed among them. The 
mules and horses hearing his voice amidst the frighten- 
ing yells of the savages, immediately started at a lively 
pace for the fort; but the Indians were on all sides and 
bewildered them. The guard still pressed them onward 
and called for help: and on they rushed, despite the 
efforts of the Indians to the contrary. The battlements 
were covered with men. They shouted encouragement 
to the brave guard — ' Onward ! onward ! ' and the injunc- 
tion was obeyed. He spurred his horse to his greatest 
speed from side to side, and whipped the hindermost 
of the band with his leading rope. He had saved every 



378 Trails of the Pathfinders 

animal; he was within twenty yards of the open gate; he 
fell; three arrows from the bows of the Comanches had 
cloven his heart. And relieved of him, the lords of the 
quiver gathered their prey, and drove them to the bor- 
ders of Texas, without injury to Hfe or Hmb. I saw this 
faithful guard's grave. He had been buried a few days. 
The wolves had been digging into it. Thus forty or 
fifty mules and horses and their best servant's life, were 
lost to the Messrs. Bent in a single day. I have been 
informed also that those horses and mules, which my 
company had taken great pleasure in recovering for them 
in the plains, were also stolen in a similar manner soon 
after my departure from the post; and that the gentle- 
men owners were in hourly expectation of an attack 
upon the fort itself." 

It was midsummer when Farnham left Fort Will- 
iam, with four companions, for Oregon Territory. He 
stopped at Fort EI Puebla, five miles above Bent's Fort, 
and here met a number of trappers. One of these 
greatly impressed him, a man from New Hampshire. 
*'He had been educated at Dartmouth College, and 
was, altogether, one of the most remarkable men I ever 
knew. A splendid gentleman, a finished scholar, a critic 
on English and Roman literature, a politician, a trap- 
per, an Indian." Dressed in a deer-skin frock, leg- 
gings and moccasins; there was not a shred of cloth 
about his person. Stiff, cold, and formal at first, he 
thawed as their acquaintance grew, and gave Farnham 
glimpses into his nature which greatly interested the 
traveller. There were other men among these trap- 



Thomas J. Farnham 379 

pers, who told the author tales of adventure which he 
gladly set down, and which are well worth reproduc- 
ing did space permit. Here Farnham traded for ad- 
ditional horses, and before long they set out to cross 
the mountains. 

Led by a trapper named Kelly, who was familiar with 
the country through which they were to go, the party 
followed up the Arkansas, and at last entered the 
Rocky Mountains. Before they had gone very far their 
way seemed barred by mountains impracticable for 
pack-horses; yet their guides, after considering the way, 
marched straight onward over mountains of which some 
notion may be had from the following description: "The 
upper half, though less steep, proved to be the worst part 
of the ascent. It was a bed of rocks, at one place small 
and rolling, at another large and fixed, with deep open- 
ings between them. So that our animals were almost 
constantly falling, and tottering upon the brink of the 
cliffs, as they rose again and made their way among 
them. An hour and a half of this most dangerous and 
tiresome clambering deposited us in a grove of yellow 
pines near the summit. Our animals were covered with 
sweat and dirt, and trembled as if at that instant from 
the race track. Nor were their masters free from every 
ill of weariness. Our knees smote each other with fa- 
tigue, as Belshazzar's did with fear. Many of the pines 
on this ridge were two feet in diameter, and a hundred 
feet high, with small clusters of limbs around the tops. 
Others were low, and clothed with strong limbs quite 
near the ground. Under a number of these latter we 



380 Trails of the Pathfinders 

had seated ourselves, holding the reins of our riding 
horses, when a storm arose with the rapidity of a whirl- 
wind, and poured upon us hail and rain and snow with 
all imaginable Hberality. A most remarkable tempest 
was this. . . . One portion of it had gathered its elec- 
tricity and mist around James' Peak in the east; another 
among the white heights northwest; and a third among 
the snowy pyramids of the Utaws in the southwest; and 
marshalling their hosts, met over this connecting ridge 
between the eastern and central ranges, as if by general 
battle to settle a vexed question as to the better right to 
the pass; and it was sublimely fought. The opposing 
storms met nearly at the zenith, and fiercely rolled to- 
gether their angry masses. And as if to carry out the 
simile I have here attempted, at the moment of their 
junction, the electricity of each leaped upon its antag- 
onist transversely across the heavens, and in some in- 
stances fell in immense bolts upon the trembling cHfFs; 
and then instantly came a volley of hail as grape-shot, 
sufl^cient to whiten all the towers of this horrid war. It 
lasted an hour." 

After the tempest had ceased they clambered to the 
summit — whence they had a marvellous view of the 
Great Main snowy range of the "Rocky," "Stony" or 
"Shining" mountains — then, clambering down on the 
other side, they camped not far below, on the headwaters 
of the Platte River, in what is now North Park, Colo- 
rado. Food was scarce, and nothing had been killed 
since they left Fort William; but when they came in sight 
of the Bayou Salade, Kelly promised them that before 



Thomas J. Farnham 381 

long they would have meat; and sure enough, during the 
day a buflPalo was seen, killed by the guide, and greedily 
devoured. A hearty meal of its flesh; tongue, fat ribs, 
tenderloin, marrow-bones, and blood-pudding were all 
enjoyed, and the party ate almost the whole night long. 



CHAPTER XXV 

THOMAS J. FARNHAM 
II 

THEY were now in the country of the Utes, or 
rather, in the debatable land visited for hunting 
purposes by Utes, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Sho- 
shoni, Blackfeet, and Crows. They therefore travelled 
with some care, put out their fires at night, looked to 
their arms, and prepared to meet the foe. No Ind- 
ians were seen, however; but another misfortune visited 
them in the loss of one of the guide's horses, poisoned by 
some food that it had eaten. 

As they journeyed on, food again became scarce, and 
the travel was so difficult that they had no time to hunt, 
and suffered from hunger. On the Little Bear River 
they met a party of four French Canadians, who a few 
days before had been attacked by a Sioux war party on 
Little Snake River [of Colorado]. Here again atten- 
tion is called to the difference in character of the French 
and the American trappers. The former are mercurial, 
volatile, and always merry, cheering themselves on their 
journeys with song; while the American trapper is 
watchfulness personified, and his concentration in this 

382 



Thomas J. Farnham 383 

direction destroys all frivolity. "They seldom smile; 
the expression of their countenances is watchful, solemn 
and determined. They ride and walk Hke men whose 
breasts have so long been exposed to the bullet and ar- 
row, that fear finds within them no resting place. If 
a horseman is descried in the distance, they put spurs 
to their animals and are at his side at once, as the re- 
sult may be for death or life. No delay, no second 
thought, no cringing in their stirrups; but erect, firm, 
and with a strong arm, they seize and overcome every 
danger 'or perish,' say they, 'as white men should,' 
fighting promptly and bravely." 

On parting next day — August 5 — with the French and 
American trappers, two of Farnham's party left him. 
Farnham notes the kindness and free-handedness of the 
trappers. He had given them a little ammunition, and 
they sought to repay the kindness by presenting him and 
his party with moccasins, dressed deer and elk skins, and 
other articles. "Everything, even their hunting shirts 
upon their backs, were at our service; always kindly 
remarking when they made an offer of such things, that 
'the country was filled with skins, and they could get a 
supply when they should need them.' " It was this same 
day that a man, pursuing some bears, found among the 
brush a prize — an excellent pack-mule, feeding quietly, 
and so tame as to permit him to approach within ten 
yards of it without even raising its head. The man pre- 
pared to catch it, when suddenly the mule "most won- 
derfully, most cruelly, metamorphosed itself into an elk! 
— fat as marrow itself, and sufficient in weight to have 



384 Trails of the Pathfinders 

fed our company for twelve days — and fled away," the 
man who had prepared to catch it being too aston- 
ished to shoot at it. This was unlucky, for now they 
had no food. Game was seen several times, but none 
was killed. The next day, however, a family of bears 
was seen, and two cubs secured. They weighed about 
twelve pounds apiece, and made for the party, as the 
author expresses it, "a filthy supper." They were try- 
ing to reach Brown*s Hole, but progress was slow. For 
forty-eight hours after the finishing of the cubs they had 
no food; and then, with great regret, they killed their 
dog, singed and ate it. At last, after more days of hun- 
ger, they found themselves in Brown's Hole, and at Fort 
David Crockett. 

Here there was food and to spare, and white men, 
traders, especially one Robinson, who traded chiefly 
with the Snakes. This was very likely "Uncle Jack 
Robinson," who died, a very old man, at Fort Bridger 
about 1894. He was one of the party of trappers who 
found the Arapahoe baby whom they named Friday. 

In this " Happy Valley," which, however, was not free 
from incursions by the wandering enemy, the travellers 
spent much time, and here Farnham puts down some 
things that he learned concerning the Snake, Crow, 
Blackfeet, and Arapahoe Indians. He describes es- 
pecially the pestilence which visited the Blackfeet in 
1828, at which time they numbered about two thousand 
five hundred lodges, or families, which would perhaps 
mean twelve thousand five hundred people. This 
enumeration may perhaps refer to the Piegan Black- 



Thomas J. Farnham 385 

feet alone, or to all three of the tribes of that 
nation. 

At that time, as in later visits of this dread disease, 
the Blackfeet treatment was by the sweat lodge, followed 
by a plunge into icy water, from which often the weak- 
ened victim was unable to struggle again to the shore. 
At this time the Blackfoot camp, it is said, was on the 
banks of the Yellowstone. 

A glimpse of the estimation in which the Blackfeet 
were held in those days is afforded by the reflection 
with which the author concludes his description of this 
scourge; for he says: "But this infliction has in no wise 
humanized their blood-thirsty nature. As ever before, 
they wage exterminating war upon the traders and trap- 
pers, and the Oregon Indians." 

At Brown's Hole, Farnham met an old Snake Indian 
who had seen Lewis and Clark on the headwaters of 
the Missouri in 1805. This man was the first of his 
people who saw the exploring white man. "He ap- 
pears to have been galloping from place to place in the 
ofllice of sentinel to the Shoshoni camp, when he sud- 
denly found himself in the very presence of the whites. 
Astonishment fixed him to the spot. Men with faces 
pale as ashes had never been seen by himself or his 
nation. *The head rose high and round, the top flat; 
it jutted over the eyes in a thin rim; their skin was loose 
and flowing, and of various colors.' His fears at length 
overcoming his curiosity, he fled in the direction of the 
Indian encampment. But being seen by the whites they 
pursued and brought him to their camp; exhibited to 



386 Trails of the Pathfinders 

him the effects of their firearms, loaded him with pres- 
ents, and let him go. Having arrived among his ovv^n 
people, he told them he had seen men with faces pale as 
ashes, who were makers of thunder, lightning, etc. 
This information astounded the whole tribe. They 
had lived many years, and their ancestors had lived 
many more, and there were many legends which spoke 
of many wonderful things; but a tale like this they had 
never heard, A council was therefore assembled to 
consider the matter. The man of strange words was 
summoned before it; and he rehearsed, in substance, 
what he had before told to others, but was not believed. 
'All men were red, and therefore he could not have seen 
men as pale as ashes. The Great Spirit made the 
thunder and lightning; he therefore could not have seen 
men of any color that could produce them. He had 
seen nothing; he had lied to his chief, and should die.* 
At this stage of the proceedings, the culprit produced 
some of the presents which he had received from the 
pale men. These being quite as new to them as pale 
faces were, it was determined 'that he should have the 
privilege of leading his judges to the place where he de- 
clared he had seen these strange people; and if such were 
found there, he should be exculpated; if not, these pres- 
ents were to be considered as conclusive evidence 
against him, that he dealt with evil spirits, and that he 
was worthy of death by the arrows of his kinfolks.* 
The pale men — the thunder makers — were found, and 
were witnesses of the poor fellow's story. He was re- 
leased, and has ever since been much honored and loved 



Thomas J. Farnham 387 

by his tribe, and every white man in the mountains. He 
is now about eighty years old, and poor. But as he is 
always about Fort David Crockett, he is never per- 
mitted to want." 

At Brown's Hole arrived Paul Richardson, who was 
returning from the borders of Oregon to St. Louis. He 
had guided some missionaries and others, from the 
Western States to that unknown region, and among 
them a man whose purpose it was to conquer the terri- 
tory of California. The missionaries were Messrs. 
Munger and Griffith, and their wives were with them. 
Influenced by Richardson's story, which was very un- 
favorable to Oregon as a place of residence, two of 
Farnham's men determined to return to the Mississippi 
Valley. This left him only Blair, an old man, and the 
useless person whose life he had saved, as companions 
for the long journey before him. The event was dis- 
heartening. Farnham, however, was a man of de- 
termination, and was not to be turned from his 
purpose of striving, at least, to reach the mouth of the 
Colorado River that season. He therefore engaged a 
Snake Indian to pilot him to Fort Hall, about two 
hundred miles distant; the compensation offered for 
the service being fifty loads of ammunition, and three 
bunches of beads. One of the melancholy things of 
continuing the journey was the necessity of parting with 
Kelly, the trapper who had bravely and effectively 
guided them from Fort William to Brown's Hole. 
When the last farewells were said, they started off, 
following the Green River, which here is called Sheet- 



388 Trails of the Pathfinders 

skadee; and on a tributary of this stream, a day or 
two later, Farnham lost his Pueblo mare — a prairie, 
and not a mountain, horse — which, after escaping 
many dangers in climbing the rough mountains to the 
eastward, at last fell over a cliff about six hundred feet 
high and was killed. 

When starting out from Fort David Crockett, they 
had been ill supplied with food, of which a considerable 
part was dog meat, but Jim, the Indian guide, occa- 
sionally killed an antelope, which kept the party from 
suffering. While still travelling up the river, they met 
a free trapper, named Madison Gordon, who told them 
the usual story of few beaver, and little game; and he 
declared that he purposed to move West, and to begin 
farming in the valley of the Willamette, which he 
averred was the purpose also of a large number of his 
fellow trappers. One morning, as they were packing, 
the guide detected in the distance, down the river, peo- 
ple coming. Who these might be they did not know. 
They had visions of war parties of Crows, Sioux, and 
Blackfeet, and prepared for the attack; put new caps 
on their rifles, mounted, and took up a favorable posi- 
tion. But before long their guide rode out from be- 
hind their brush-wood camp and hurried his horse 
toward the stranger. This man proved to be the cele- 
brated bear killer. Meek — perhaps the man whose story 
is told in a book entitled. The River of the West, 
which gives much of the history of the early settlements 
on the Columbia River. A day or two after this, food 
must have again become scarce with them, for the 



Thomas J. Farnham 389 

author says, quite incidentally, "at sunset our camp 
kettle was bubbling over the bones of a pelican at the 
' Steamboat Spring/ " Think of the joy of eating boiled 
pelican! What more nauseous dish can be imagined. 
Crossing over into the valley of Bear River, they hurried 
on their way, frequently made uneasy by finding the 
tracks of people, and even by seeing camp fires at night, 
and at length reached Fort Hall, and full meals, in 
which fresh buffalo tongue figured largely. 

After a short stay at Fort Hall, Farnham and his peo- 
ple, under the guidance of an Indian, set out to cross the 
burnt plains of Snake River. Two or three days out the 
party was joined by a Swiss trapper who had been eight 
years in the mountains. He had been a student in a 
seminary, but had deserted that training-ground for the 
priesthood and had come to America and taken to the 
mountains. 

The wormwood deserts of the Snake River were hard 
enough on the travellers, but harder still on their animals, 
which had little to eat. Digger Indians were sometimes 
met; and when they reached the Boisais River they 
found Indians in considerable numbers engaged in tak- 
ing salmon for their winter provisions. They were 
pleasant, hospitable, and ready to trade provisions, or 
even horses; and here the party renewed their stock. It 
was here too that their guide left them, explaining that 
now that he had come to the country of another people, 
it would not be good manners to act as guide through 
their land. Left without guidance in a country cut up 
with trails, they were obliged to depend on themselves, 



390 Trails of the Pathfinders 

but at length succeeded in hiring a number of Bonak 
[Bannock] Indians to guide them to the fort, which they 
were now approaching. 

The fort at Boisais was as hospitable as all the others 
had been. This post was built in 1832 by the Hudson's 
Bay Company to counteract the influence of Wyeth's 
Fort Hall, the building of which is described in J. K. 
Townsend's sketches. At this time it was commanded 
by Mr. Payette. The stay at Boisais was not long, and 
the travellers moved on over a country sometimes easy 
to traverse, again extremely difficult. In some places all 
the party walked, except the worthless Smith, who in- 
sisted on making his unfortunate beast carry him over 
the roughest ground. A few days later they reached the 
Columbia River, and crossing over found themselves be- 
fore the mission, in the presence of Dr. Whitman. Mr. 
Munger and Mr. Hall were also there. A pretty picture 
is painted of the life and work of this mission among the 
Skyuse Indians, whom they were endeavoring to teach 
the ordinary occupations of civilized hfe. 

At the Dalles Farnham saw some Chinooks, and de- 
clared that they flattened their heads more and are more 
stupid than any other tribe on the Columbia. 

He tells us that these Indians subsist on the acorns of 
the white oak and on fish. For winter the fish is dried, 
and then pounded to powder and mixed with the oil of 
the leaf fat of the fish, and packed away in flag sacks; 
thus making a sort offish pemmican. Although no salt 
is used in this preparation, it remains good through the 
winter. The acorns, gathered as soon as they fall to 



Thomas J. Farnham 391 

the ground, are buried in sand, which is kept constantly 
saturated with water, where they remain till spring. 
This soaking is said to remove their bitter flavor. 

Passing on down the Columbia, Farnham passed 
various settlements and farms, one of which belonged to 
Thomas McKay, son of the McKay who figured with 
John Jacob Astor in the doings of the Pacific Fur Com- 
pany. McKay was building a grist mill, and it was well 
advanced toward completion. The mother of McKay 
was a Cree or Chippewa Indian. This is the McKay 
spoken of by Townsend. 

It was just at this time that the British, as well as the 
Americans, were beginning to take possession of Oregon, 
and what is now Washington, It had long been oc- 
cupied by the Hudson's Bay Company; but, on the other 
hand, many Americans had traded and settled there; 
and the American settlers were urgent that they should 
be protected, declaring this to be a portion of their coun- 
try's domain. The settlers held a meeting while Farn- 
ham was there, and handed him a petition, signed by 
sixty-seven citizens of the United States, and persons 
desirous of becoming such, the substance of which was 
"a description of the country, their unprotected situation, 
and a prayer that the Federal Government would ex- 
tend over them the protection and institutions of the 
Republic. 

Farnham's original intention was to explore Oregon 
during the winter then beginning, and during the follow- 
ing summer to return to the States with the American 
fur traders. Already the rainy season had begun, how- 



392 Trails of the Pathfinders 

ever, and it was uncertain whether the traders would 
return to the States next year. That plan had to be 
given up. Finally he determined to take ship from the 
mouth of the Columbia River either for New York or 
California, as the opportunity might offer. 

At Fort Vancouver he found a number of Hudson's 
Bay people, with whom the time passed very pleasantly. 
Then, again taking to his canoe, he passed down to the 
mouth of the river, where he found the good ship 
"Vancouver," Captain Duncan; and shortly after, pass- 
ing out to sea, Farnham's travels in the great Anahuac 
were ended. 



CHAPTER XXVI 
FREMONT 



THE inequality with which fame distributes her 
favors has always been a fertile subject for mor- 
alist and philosopher. One man may do great 
things, and yet through innate modesty, or ill fortune of 
some sort, may make no impression on the popular 
imagination; so that his deeds are soon forgotten. An- 
other, by a series of fortunately narrated adventures of 
relatively much less difficulty and danger, may acquire 
the name of having accomplished great things. Zebu- 
Ion M. Pike, the explorer, w^as a man of the first kind. 
John C. Fremont, commonly spoken of as the Path- 
finder, and by many people believed to have been the 
discoverer of the Rocky Mountains, belonged to the 
second class. The work that Fremont did was good 
work, but it was not great. He was an army officer, 
sent out to survey routes across the continent; and he 
did his duty, and did it well; but he did not discover 
the Rocky Mountains, nor did he discover gold in Cali- 
fornia, as often supposed. He passed over routes al- 
ready well known to the men of the plains and the 
mountains, and discovered little that was new, except 

393 



394 • Trails of the Pathfinders 



the approximate location of many points. Neverthe- 
less, in his two expeditons, which cover the years 1842 
and 1843, and 1844, ^^ traversed ten thousand miles of 
wilderness, between the Missouri River and the shores 
of the Pacific; and he connected the surveys of the State 
of Missouri with those made by the Wilkes expedition 
at the mouth of the Columbia. This involved much 
labor and hardship, and was of high value at the time, 
but it is not to be compared with the work done by 
Lewis and Clark, and Pike; and the fact that Fremont 
gained great fame while his predecessors seemed until 
recently to be almost forgotten, seems unjust. 

Fremont's first expedition went only as far as the 
Rocky Mountains, terminating at the South Pass and 
Fremont's Peak. The second, which reached those 
mountains by another route, crossed them at the South 
Pass, and proceeded West to the Oregon River — the 
Columbia — and northern California. 

The story of these two journeys is embodied in a re- 
port addressed to the Chief of the Corps of Topographi- 
cal Engineers, and published in Washington in 1845. 

Although a formal report, made by an army officer, 
and written in the ordinary style of an itinerary of the 
daily march, yet Fremont's account of his travels is told 
with much vividness; and quite apart from the interest 
which attaches to it as a description of the still unex- 
plored West, it attracts by its graphic style. The ac- 
counts of the hunting, encounters with Indians, and 
mountain climbing are spirited; and the descriptions 
of wild scenery show real feeling. 




MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN C. FREM(JNT. 



Fremont 395 

Fremont's party consisted of Charles Preuss, his as- 
sistant in topography; L. Maxwell, a hunter, with Kit 
Carson as guide. L. Maxwell and Kit Carson had long 
before this both been employed at Bent's old fort — Fort 
William. They had married sisters, daughters of Mr. 
Beaubien of Taos, N. M., who a few years later was 
killed in the Pueblo rising at Taos. He had over 
twenty Frenchmen, Creoles, and Canadian voyageurs, 
old prairie men, who had been servants of the fur com- 
panies. Among these men are such names as Lambert, 
L'Esperance, Lefevre, Lajeunesse, Cadotte, Clement, 
Simonds, Latulippe, Badeau, Chardonnais, and Janisse. 
The children and grandchildren of some, perhaps of 
many of these men, are still living, at various points in 
the West, and still bear the names of their ancestors. 
Joseph Clement, for example, probably a son of old 
man Clement, lives to-day on the Standing Rock Indian 
Reservation, in South Dakota. Nicholas and Antoine 
Jeunesse, or Janisse, a few years ago were still alive, 
one at Pine Ridge, the other at Whetstone Agency, in 
South Dakota. Antoine Janisse died at Pine Ridge in 
1897 and his brother Nicholas about 1905. 

The expedition started on Friday, June 10, from 
Cyprian Chouteau's trading-post, near the mouth of the 
Kansas River, and marched up that stream. Their bag- 
gage, instruments and provisions were carried in mule 
carts, of which they had eight; and the men, except the 
drivers of these carts, were mounted; and some of them 
drove loose horses. A few oxen were taken along for 
food. They marched up the Kansas River, and from 



396 Trails of the Pathfinders 

time to time purchased milk, butter, and vegetables at 
Indian farms, a condition of things which indicates that 
the Indians at that time were further advanced toward 
civilization and self-support than many of them seem to 
be at the present day. It was the practice to encamp 
an hour or two before sunset, when the carts were ar- 
ranged so as to form a sort of barricade, or at least to 
mark the boundaries of a circle about the camp, eighty 
yards in diameter. 

"The tents were pitched and the horses hobbled and 
turned loose to graze; and but a few minutes elapsed 
before the cooks of the messes, of which there were four, 
were busily engaged in preparing the evening meal. 
. . . When we had reached a part of the country where 
such a precaution became necessary, the carts being 
regularly arranged for defending the camp, guard was 
mounted at eight o'clock, consisting of three men, who 
were relieved every two hours; the morning watch being 
horse guard for the day. At daybreak the camp was 
roused, the animals turned loose to graze, and breakfast 
generally over between six and seven o'clock, when we 
resumed our march, making regularly a halt at noon for 
one or two hours." 

During his march up the Kansas River, Fremont 
speaks of passing a large but deserted Kansas village, 
"scattered in an open wood along the margin of the 
stream, on a spot chosen with the customary Indian 
fondness for beauty of scenery. The Pawnees had at- 
tacked it in the early spring. Some of the houses were 
burnt, and others blackened with smoke, and weeds 



Fremont 397 

were already getting possession of the cleared places." 
June 17 they crossed the Big Vermillion, and Big Blue; 
and saw their first antelope; while Carson brought in a 
fine deer. They were now on the trail of a party of 
emigrants to Oregon, and found many articles that they 
had thrown away. Game began to be abundant; there 
were flocks of turkeys in the bottom of the Little Blue; 
elk were seen on the hills, and antelope and deer 
abounded. When they reached the Pawnee country, 
many were the tales told of the craft and daring of these 
independent people. One morning they had a genuine 
Indian alarm; a man who was somewhat behind the 
party, rode up in haste, shouting, "Indians! Indians!" 
He stated that he had seen them, and had counted 
twenty-seven. The command was at once halted, and 
the usual precautions made for defence, while Carson, 
mounting one of the hunting horses, set out to learn the 
cause of the alarm. "Mounted on a fine horse, without 
a saddle, and scouring bareheaded over the prairie. Kit 
was one of the finest pictures of a horseman I have ever 
seen, A short time enabled him to discover that the 
Indian war party of twenty-seven consisted of six elk 
who had been gazing curiously at our caravan as it 
passed, and were now scampering off at full speed. 
This was our first alarm, and its excitement broke 
agreeably on the monotony of the day." 

The party now crossed over to the Platte River — 
which Fremont calls the Nebraska — and encamped on 
its banks. Two days later, while they were halted for 
noon, there came the startling cry, " Du monde!" — 



398 Trails of the Pathfinders 

people. In a moment all were prepared for defence. 
Horses were driven in, hobbled and picketed, and the 
horsemen were galloping at full speed in the direction of 
the new-comers, screaming and yelling with the wildest 
excitement. The travellers proved to be a small party, 
under the charge of a man named John Lee, which had 
left Fort Laramie two months before, endeavoring to 
transport the furs of the American Fur Company down 
the Platte by boat; they had started with the annual 
flood, but before they had travelled one hundred and 
fifty miles found that their waterway had become too 
shoal for their boats; they had therefore cached their 
possessions, and had started east on foot, carrying on 
their backs their provisions, clothing, and a few Hght 
furs. It was from among this party that Fremont en- 
gaged Latulippe, who, though on his way to St. Louis, 
really had no special desire to go there, and was quite 
willing to turn about and face the West again. 

The same day three Cheyennes were met, returning 
from an unsuccessful horse-stealing expedition against 
the Pawnee village. They joined the party, and for 
some days afterward travelled in its company. On the 
29th the first buff"aIo were seen, and on the following 
day these animals swarmed "in immense numbers over 
the plain, where they had left scarcely a blade of grass 
standing." "We had heard from a distance a dull and 
confused murmuring, and when we came in view of their 
dark masses there was not one among us who did not 
feel his heart beat quicker. It was the early part of 
the day, when the herds are feeding, and everywhere 



Fremont 399 

they were in motion. Here and there a huge old bull 
was rolling in the grass, and clouds of dust rose in the 
air from various parts of the bands, each the scene of 
some obstinate fight. Indians and buffalo make the 
poetry and life of the prairie, and our camp was full of 
their exhilaration." Here first they feasted on buffalo 
meat. Fremont says: "At any time of the night might 
be seen pieces of the most delicate and choicest meat, 
roasting en appolas, on sticks around the fire, and the 
guard were never without company. With pleasant 
weather and no enemy to fear, an abundance of the 
most excellent meat, and no scarcity of bread or tobacco, 
they were enjoying the oasis of a voyageur's life. Three 
cows were killed to-day. Kit Carson had shot one, and 
was continuing the chase in the midst of another herd, 
when his horse fell headlong, but sprang up and joined 
the flying band. Though considerably hurt, he had the 
good fortune to break no bones; and Maxwell, who was 
mounted on a fleet hunter, captured the runaway after a 
hard chase. He was on the point of shooting him, to 
avoid the loss of his bridle (a handsomely mounted 
Spanish one), when he found that his horse was able to 
come up with him." 

The next day, July i, Fremont himself made a chase 
for buffalo. He says: "As we were riding quietly along 
the bank, a grand herd of buffalo, some seven or eight 
hundred in number, came crowding up from the river, 
where they had been to drink, and commenced crossing 
the plain slowly, eating as they went. The wind was 
favorable; the coolness of the morning invited to exercise. 



400 Trails of the Pathfinders 

the ground was apparently good, and the distance 
across the prairie (two or three miles) gave us a fine 
opportunity to charge them before they could get among 
the river hills. It was too fine a prospect for the chase 
to be lost; and, halting for a few moments, the hunters 
were brought up and saddled, and Kit Carson, Maxwell, 
and I started together. They were now somewhat less 
than half a mile distant, and we rode easily along until 
within about three hundred yards, when a sudden agita- 
tion, a wavering in the band, and a galloping to and fro 
of some which were scattered along the skirts gave us 
the intimation that we were discovered. We started to- 
gether at a grand gallop, riding steadily abreast of each 
other, and here the interest of the chase became so en- 
grossingly intense, that we were sensible to nothing else. 
We were now closing upon them rapidly, and the front 
of the mass was already in rapid motion for the hills, and 
in a few seconds the movement had communicated itself 
to the whole herd, 

"A crowd of bulls, as usual, brought up the rear, and 
every now and then some of them faced about, and then 
dashed on after the band a short distance, and turned 
and looked again, as if more than half inclined to stand 
and fight. In a few moments, however, during which 
we had been quickening our pace, the rout was univer- 
sal, and we were going over the ground like a hurricane. 
When at about thirty yards we gave the usual shout 
(the hunter's pas de charge), and broke into the herd. 
We entered on the side, the mass giving way in every 
direction in their heedless course. Many of the bulls, 



Fremont 401 

less active and less fleet than the cows, paying no atten- 
tion to the ground, and occupied solely with the hunter, 
were precipitated to the earth with great force, rolling 
over and over with the violence of the shock, and hardly 
distinguishable in the dust. We separated on entering, 
each singling out his game. 

"My horse was a trained hunter, famous in the West 
under the name of Proveau, and, with his eyes flashing, 
and the foam flying from his mouth, sprang on after the 
cow like a tiger. In a few moments he brought me 
alongside of her, and, rising in the stirrups, I fired at the 
distance of a yard, the ball entering at the termination 
of the long hair, and passing near the heart. She fell 
headlong at the report of the gun, and, checking my 
horse, I looked around for my companions. At a little 
distance. Kit was on the ground, engaged in tying his 
horse to the. horns of a cow which he was preparing to 
cut up. Among the scattered bands, at some distance 
below, I caught a glimpse of Maxwell; and while I was 
looking, a light wreath of white smoke curled away from 
his gun, from which I was too far to hear the report. 
Nearer, and between me and the hills, toward which 
they were directing their course, was the body of the 
herd, and, giving my horse the rein, we dashed after 
them. A thick cloud of dust hung upon their rear, 
which filled my mouth and eyes, and nearly smothered 
me. In the midst of this I could see nothing, and the 
buffalo were not distinguishable until within thirty feet. 
They crowded together more densely still as I came 
upon them, and rushed along in such a compact body, 



402 Trails of the Pathfinders 

that I could not obtain an entrance — the horse almost 
leaping upon them. In a few moments the mass di- 
vided to the right and left, the horns clattering with a 
noise heard above everything else, and my horse darted 
into the opening. Five or six bulls charged on us as 
we dashed along the line, but were left far behind; 
and, singhng out a cow, I gave her my fire, but struck 
too high. She gave a tremendous leap, and scoured on 
swifter than before. I reined up my horse, and the 
band swept on hke a torrent, and left the place quiet 
and clear. Our chase had led us into dangerous 
ground. A prairie-dog village, so thickly settled that 
there were three or four holes in every twenty yards 
square, occupied the whole bottom for nearly two miles 
in length. Looking around, I saw only one of the hunt- 
ers, nearly out of sight, and the long dark line of our 
caravan crawling along, three or four miles distant." 

Continuing up the Platte River, Fremont reached the 
junction of the North and South Platte, on the 2d of 
July. He now divided his forces, sending one party up 
the North Platte to Fort Laramie, and another up 
the South Platte to St. Vrain's fort, and thence across 
country to a meeting point at Fort Laramie. This last 
party he determined to take charge of himself, taking 
Mr. Preuss, and four of his best men. The Cheyennes, 
whose village was supposed to be on the South Platte, 
also decided to accompany him. The party for the 
North Fork was to be in charge of Clement Lambert. 
The separation took place July 5. The party following 
up the South Platte took one led horse, and a pack- 



Fremont 403 

mule, and travelled very light. The cook had been 
ordered to prepare provisions for this outfit, and they 
started. When they stopped for noon, hov^^ever, they 
discovered that the provisions they supposed they were 
carrying, had been left behind, and they had nothing to 
eat except the meat of a poor bull that they had killed 
during the day. As the trip promised to be a hard one, 
Fremont sent two of his men, Preuss and Bernier, 
across the country to rejoin those who were travelling up 
the North branch of the river. 

Buffalo were abundant, and an incident of the march 
was a bull fight on a large scale, which the travel- 
lers intercepted: "In the course of the afternoon, dust 
rising among the hills at a particular place, attracted 
our attention; and riding up, we found a band of eigh- 
teen or twenty buffalo bulls engaged in a desperate fight. 
Though butting and goring were bestowed liberally, 
and without distinction, yet their efforts were evidently 
directed against one — a huge gaunt old bull, very lean, 
while his adversaries were all fat and in good order. 
He appeared very weak and had already received some 
wounds, and, while we were looking on, was several 
times knocked down and badly hurt, and a very few 
moments would have put an end to him. Of course we 
took the side of the weaker party, and attacked the 
herd; but they were so blind with rage, that they fought 
on, utterly regardless of our presence, although on foot 
and on horseback we were firing in open view within 
twenty yards of them. But this did not last long. In 
a very few seconds, 'we created a commotion among 



404 Trails of the Pathfinders 

them. One or two, which were knocked over by the 
balls, jumped up and ran off into the hills; and they be- 
gan to retreat slowly along a broad ravine to the river, 
fighting furiously as they went. By the time they had 
reached the bottom, we had pretty well dispersed them, 
and the old bull hobbled off, to lie down somewhere. 
One of his enemies remained on the ground where we 
had first fired upon them, and we stopped there for a 
short time to cut from him some meat for our supper." 

At length they reached the post, and were cordially 
received by Mr. St. Vrain. 

No provisions could be had here, except a little 
coffee; but the way from here to Fort Laramie was 
through a country supposed to abound in buffalo, so that 
there was no danger of starvation. Here Fremont ob- 
tained a couple of horses and three mules, and he also 
hired a Spaniard for his trip, and took with him two 
others who were going to obtain service on the Laramie 
River. Crossing various streams, they passed through a 
pleasant buffalo country, and crossed Lodgepole Creek, 
and Horse Creek, coming to Goshen's Hole. 

The party struck the North Platte thirteen miles be- 
low Fort Laramie, and continuing up the stream, they 
first came in view of Fort Platte, a post belonging to 
Messrs. Sybille, Adams & Co.; and from there kept 
on up to Fort John, or Fort Laramie. Mr. Preuss and 
his party had already reached there, but had been much 
alarmed by the accounts of Indian hostilities, received 
from James Bridger and a large party of traders and 
trappers that he was guiding eastward. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

FREMONT 
II 

AT Fort Laramie, Fremont heard much about 
the hostiHties of the Sioux and Cheyennes, who, 
the year before, had had a severe fight with a 
party of sixty men, under the command of Mr. Frapp, of 
St. Louis. The Indians had lost eight or ten men, and 
the whites half as many, including their leader. This 
left the Indians in a bad frame of mind, and many of 
the young men had gone off on a war-path, threaten- 
ing to kill emigrants, and, in fact, any whites passing 
through the country. One or two parties had already 
been saved, through the efforts of Fitzpatrick, of the 
Broken Hand; but the Indians were clearly in a bad 
temper. A large village of Sioux was camped here, 
and Fremont had many savage visitors who were very 
much interested in him and his curious actions. His 
astronomical observations and instruments especially 
excited their awe and admiration; but the chiefs were 
careful to keep the younger men and the women and 
children from annoying the astronomer. Here the ser- 
vices of Joseph Bissonette as interpreter were secured, 

405 



4o6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

and the party prepared to start. Before this was done, 
however, a delegation of chiefs warned Fremont not to 
go farther. He, however, explained to them that he 
must obey his orders, and was finally allowed to go at 
his own risk. 

The party proceeded up the North Platte River, and 
the first night out were joined by Bissonette, the inter- 
preter, and by his Indian wife and a young Sioux sent 
forward by the chiefs at Fort Laramie, partly as guide 
and partly to vouch for the explorers in case they should 
meet with hostile Sioux. Fremont imagined, from 
Bissonette's long residence in the country, that he was a 
guide, and followed his advice as to the route to be pur- 
sued. He afterward learned that Bissonette had seldom 
been out of sight of the fort, and his suggestions obliged 
the party to travel over a very rough road. They met 
a party of Indians who gave very discouraging accounts 
of the country ahead, saying that buffalo were scarce, 
that there was no grass to support the horses, partly be- 
cause of the excessive drought, and partly on account 
of the grasshoppers, which were unusually numerous. 
The next day they killed five or six cows and made dried 
meat of them. Buffalo continued plenty and they 
pushed forward, meeting Indians, who again gave them 
bad accounts of the country ahead, so that Bissonette 
strongly advised Fremont to turn about. This he de- 
clined to do, but told his men what he had heard and 
left it to each man to say whether he would go on or turn 
back. Fremont had absolute confidence in a number 
of the best men, and felt sure that they would stay with 



Fremont 407 

him, and to his great satisfaction all agreed to go for- 
ward. Here, however, the interpreter and his Indian 
left him, and with them Fremont sent back one of his 
men, who, from the effect of an old wound, was unable 
to travel on foot and his horse seemed on the point of 
giving out. The carts were taken to pieces and cached 
in some willow brush, while everything that could be 
spared was buried in the ground. Pack-saddles were 
arranged and from here the animals were to carry their 
loads, not to haul them. Carson was appointed guide, 
for the region they were now entering had long been his 
residence. 

Instead of following the emigrant trail, which left the 
Platte and crossed over to the Sweetwater, Fremont de- 
termined to keep on up the Platte until he reached the 
Sweetwater, thinking that in this way he would find 
better feed for his animals. The decision proved a wise 
one. The day after leaving their cache they found 
abundant grass as well as some buffalo, and although 
when they passed the ford where the Indian village 
had crossed the river they found there the skeletons of 
horses lying all about, they had no trouble in finding 
grass for their animals. 

On August I they camped near Independence Rock, 
an isolated granite rock about six hundred and fifty yards 
long and forty in height. "Everywhere within six or 
eight feet of the ground, where the surface is sufficiently 
smooth, and in some places sixty or eighty feet above," 
he relates, "the rock is inscribed with the names of 
travellers. Many a name famous in the history of this 



4o8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

country, and some well known to science, are to be 
found mixed among those of the traders and of travellers 
for pleasure and curiosity, and of missionaries among 
the savages." 

It was on August 3 that the party had their first sight 
of the Wind River Mountains, distant then about sev- 
enty miles, and appearing as a low, dark, mountainous 
region. Soon after this they came to the canyon where 
the Sweetwater comes out of the mountains, and they 
followed the river up for some distance, but finally left 
it and turned up a ravine leading to the high prairie 
above. For some time they had found fuel very 
scarce, and had been obliged to burn buff'alo chips and 
sage brush as they did here. The rain, which from time 
to time had been falling upon them down in the val- 
ley, now showed as snow on the white peaks that they 
had approached, for they were within a short distance 
of the South Pass, which was the objective point for 
the expedition. Soon they reached the highest point 
of the Pass, which Fremont estimates at about seven 
thousand feet, passed over it and camped on the Little 
Sandy, a tributary of Green River. 

The explorer felt a natural longing to push northward 
from this point, wishing to cross the heads of the Yellow- 
stone, which he justly supposed arose among the moun- 
tains which lay to the north of him, but the party were 
in no condition to make such a journey; the men were 
more or less exhausted by the difficulties of past travel, 
provisions were almost gone, and game was scarce. He, 
however, built a stout corral and felled timber on the 



Fremont 409 

margin of a lake not far off, where there was abundant 
food for the animals; and, dividing his party, left some 
of the men and the weakest animals here, and taking 
fourteen men with fifteen of the best mules, set out to 
penetrate farther into the mountains. Travel through 
the mountains was slow and difficult, but attractive; it 
was down one steep slope and then up another and then 
down again. Every hilltop showed some deep and 
beautiful valley, often occupied by lakes, always show- 
ing the course of some pure and rapid mountain torrent. 
The vegetation was fresh and green, as different as pos- 
sible from the parched grass and juiceless wormwood 
through which they had so long been travelHng. 

At their camp of August 13 the upward way became 
so steep and rough that it was determined to leave the 
animals here and to continue the journey on foot. The 
men carried with them nothing but arms and instru- 
ments; and as the day was warm many of them left their 
coats in camp. They climbed and climbed, finding, as 
always happens in the mountains, that the distances 
were much greater than they supposed. At night they 
were still far from their objective point, and they lay 
down without anything to eat. The next morning, 
however, starting early, and of course without food, they 
got among the snow-fields. The elevation was now 
great, and several of the men, Fremont among the num- 
ber, were taken ill and were unable to proceed. From 
here Basil Lajeunesse, with four men, w^as sent back to 
the place where the mules had been left, with instruc- 
tions to bring on, if possible, four or five animals, with 



410 Trails of the Pathfinders 

provisions and blankets. Soon after this Fremont and 
the remaining men returned to their camp, and that 
night the men sent back for the animals returned with 
food and bedding. The next day, encouraged by rest 
and a couple of hearty meals, they determined once 
more to essay the peaks. They rode their animals well 
up on to the mountains, and then turning them loose, 
again began to climb. Their previous experience stood 
them in good stead; they climbed slowly, and at last 
reached the summit of the mountains, presumably the 
peak now known as Fremont's Peak. From this point 
the Three Tetons bore north fifty degrees west, and 
Fremont's elevation he gives as thirteen thousand five 
hundred and seventy feet. He says, with reasonable 
pride, "We had climbed the loftiest peak of the Rocky 
Mountains and looked down upon the snow a thousand 
feet below, and, standing where never human foot had 
stood before, felt the exultation of first explorers." 

They returned to the camp, where they had left their 
animals, and travelled rapidly eastward, through South 
Pass, and down on to the Sweetwater and the Platte. 
An effort was made to run this river with the india-rub- 
ber boat, which for daring and hardihood really de- 
served success. However, although they ran some dis- 
tance and passed a number of threatening places, they 
did not get through. "We pushed off again, but after 
making a little distance the force of the current became 
too great for the men on shore, and two of them let go 
the rope. Lajeunesse, the third man, hung on and was 
jerked headforemost into the river from a rock about 



Fremont 411 

twelve feet high, and down the boat shot hke an arrow. 
Basil following us in the rapid current and exerting all 
his strength to keep in mid-channel — his head only seen 
occasionally like a black spot in the white foam. How 
far we went I do not exactly know, but we succeeded 
in turning the boat into an eddy below. ' Cre Dieuy 
said Basil Lajeunesse, as he arrived immediately after 
us. ' Je crois hien que fai nage un demt mile* ('Good 
Lord! I believe I have swum half a mile.') He had 
owed his life to his skill as a swimmer, and I determined 
to take him and the two others on board and trust to 
skill and fortune to reach the other end in safety. We 
placed ourselves on our knees and with the short pad- 
dles in our hands, the most skilful boatman being at 
the bow, and again we commenced our rapid descent. 
We cleared rock after rock and shot past fall after fall, 
our little boat seeming to play with the cataract. We be- 
came flushed with success and familiar with the danger, 
and, yielding to the excitement of the occasion, broke 
forth together into a Canadian boat song. Singing, or 
rather shouting, we dashed along, and were, I believe, 
in the midst of the chorus when the boat struck a con- 
cealed rock immediately at the foot of a fall which 
whirled her over in an instant. Three of my men could 
not swim and my first feeling was to assist them and 
save some of our effects; but a sharp concussion or two 
convinced me that I had not yet saved myself. A few 
strokes brought me into an eddy, and I landed on a pile 
of rocks on the left side. Looking around I saw that 
Mr. Preuss had gained the shore on the same side, about 



412 Trails of the Pathfinders 

twenty yards below, and a little climbing and swimming 
soon brought him to my side. On the opposite side, 
against the wall, lay the boat bottom up, and Lambert 
was in the act of saving Descoteaux, whom he had 
grasped by the hair, and who could not swim. ' Lache 
pas J said he, as I afterward learned, 'lache pas, cher 
frere.* ('Don't let go; don't let go, dear brother.') 
^Grains pas, was the reply, ' Je m en vais mourir avant 
que de te lacker.' ('Don't fear, I will die before I let 
you go.*) Such was the reply of courage and gener- 
osity in this danger. For a hundred yards below the 
current was covered with floating books and boxes, 
bales of blankets and scattered articles of clothing; 
and so strong and boiling was the stream that even our 
heavy instruments — which were all in cases — kept on 
the surface, and the sextant, circle and the long black 
box of the telescope were in view at once. For a mo- 
ment I felt somewhat disheartened. All our books — 
almost every record of the journey — our journals and 
registers of astronomical and barometrical observations 
— had been lost in a moment. But it was no time to 
indulge in regrets, and I immediately set about endeav- 
oring to save something from the wreck. Making our- 
selves understood as well as possible by signs — for 
nothing could be heard in the roar of the waters — we 
commenced our operations. Of everything on board 
the only article that had been saved was my double- 
barrelled gun, which Descoteaux had caught and clung 
to with drowning tenacity. The men continued down 
the river on the left bank. Mr. Preuss and myself de- 



Fremont 413 

scended on the side we were on, and Lajeunesse, with 
a paddle in his hand, jumped on the boat alone and 
continued down the caiion. She was now light and 
cleared every bad place with much less difficulty. In 
a short time he was joined by Lambert, and the search 
was continued for about a mile and a half, which was 
as far as the boat could proceed in the pass. 

"Here the walls were about five hundred feet high, 
and the fragments of rock from above had choked the 
river into a hollow pass but one or two feet above the 
surface. Through this and the interstices of the rock 
the water found its way. Favored beyond our expecta- 
tions, all of our registers had been recovered with the 
exception of one of my journals, which contained the 
notes and incidents of travel, and topographical descrip- 
tions, a number of scattered astronomical observations, 
principally meridian altitudes of the sun, and our bar- 
ometrical register west of Laramie. Fortunately, our 
other journals contained duplicates of the most impor- 
tant barometrical observations which had been taken 
in the mountains. These, with a few scattered notes 
were all that had been preserved of our meteorological 
observations. In addition to these we saved the circle, 
and these, with a few blankets, constituted everything 
that had been rescued from the waters." 

Having gathered up the things which they left on the 
shore, the members of the party, half naked, started on 
foot for the camp below where the other men had been 
sent. They reached there that night and found the 
much-needed food and clothing. 



414 Trails of the Pathfinders 

After passing Fort Laramie, Fremont made another 
effort to navigate the Platte River, trying to descend it 
in a bull boat; but this descent, instead of being a trip 
by vs^ater, resolved itself into dragging the vessel over 
the sands and finally abandoning it. On the 22d of 
September, Fremont reached the village of the Grand 
Pawnees, about thirty miles above the mouth of the 
Loup fork, on the Platte River, and on October i he 
found himself at the settlements on the Missouri River. 
From here the river v^as descended in a boat and St. 
Louis v^as reached October 17. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

FREMONT 
III 

FREMONT'S second trip was on a scale somewhat 
more extensive than his first. His party consisted 
of thirty-two regular engagees, besides a negro, 
and two Delaware Indians, who were hired to act as 
hunters. The route was up the Kansas valley, across 
the divide, to the head of the Arkansas, and then through 
passes in the mountains — if any could be found — at the 
source of this river. The party left "the little town of 
Kansas" — now Kansas City — the last of May, and pro- 
ceeded without special adventure until the afternoon of 
June 6, when a little confusion was caused by the sud- 
den arrival of Maxwell — one of the hunters of the ex- 
pedition of 1842 — just in advance of a party of Osage 
Indians. Maxwell had gone back to look for a lost 
horse, and the Osages had promptly chased him into 
camp, a distance of nine miles. The Osages drove off 
a number of the best horses, but a hard chase of seven 
or eight miles recovered them all. 

At this season of the year the streams were up, and 
some difficulty was met with in crossing them. Game 

415 



4i6 Trails of the Pathfinders 

was scarce, for they were travelHng through a region fre- 
quently traversed by trapping and hunting parties of 
Indians, and much pursuit had made the game watchful 
and wild. Travel was so hard and slow, largely owing 
to rain and mud, that when he reached Big Timber, 
Fremont determined to divide his party, leaving Fitz- 
patrick — he of the Broken Hand — with twenty-five men 
in charge of the provisions and heavier baggage of the 
camp; while Fremont, more lightly loaded, but taking a 
wagon and the howitzer which had been furnished by 
the United States arsenal at St. Louis, should proceed 
ahead of the main party. 

On June 19 they crossed the Pawnee road to the Ar- 
kansas, and suddenly came upon the first buffalo, half 
a dozen bulls, which formed the vanguard of immense 
herds, among which they journeyed for many days after- 
ward. The 4th of July found them at St. Vrain's fort, 
on the South Platte. 

Their live stock was now much run down, and their 
stock of provisions fairly exhausted; but they found the 
fort Httle better off than themselves, and quite without 
surplus animals. Fremont, therefore, authorized Max- 
well, who was now about to separate from them and to 
go on to Taos, to purchase there ten or twelve mules, 
pack them with provisions, and meet him at the mouth 
of the Fontaine qui bouit, on the Arkansas River. 

On the 6th of July, ten miles above St. Vrain's fort, 
the party passed Fort Lancaster, the trading-post of 
Mr. Lupton. He had already estabhshed a farm on 
the prairie, certainly one of the very earliest in the 



Fremont 417 

Trans-Missouri country. Horses, cattle, and hogs 
ranged on the prairie; and there was poultry, and what 
was left of a flourishing garden, which had just been 
ruined by high water. 

The next day a large camp — one hundred and sixty 
lodges — of Arapahoes was passed. They had many 
horses and seemed prosperous. 

They were now about seven thousand five hundred 
feet above the sea-level and travelling along prairies 
from which the waters drained into the Arkansas, 
Platte, and Kansas rivers. Pike's Peak was in sight, 
and farther to the south the Spanish Peaks. 

The next day they came upon the wagon-road to the 
settlements on the Arkansas River, and in the afternoon 
camped on the Fontaine qui bouit, which they followed 
down, passing the camp of a hunter named Maurice, 
who had been catching buffalo calves, a number of 
which were seen among the cattle near his lodge. Here, 
too, were a party of mountaineers, among whom were 
several Connecticut men belonging to Wyeth's party. 
On the afternoon of July 14 they camped near a pueblo, 
or town, where were settled a number of mountaineers 
who had married Spanish women, and had formed 
a farming settlement here. Fremont hoped that he 
might have obtained some provisions from these people, 
but as trade with the Spanish settlements was forbidden 
he got nothing except milk, of which they had an abun- 
dance. Fremont learned here that the Spanish Utes 
were on the war-path and that there had been a popular 
tumult among the civilized Indians near Taos, and so 



41 8 Trails of the Pathfinders 

felt some natural anxiety about the safety of Maxwell. 
By great good luck, however, he met here Carson, whom 
he engaged once more, and sent him off to Charles Bent, 
down the Arkansas River, to buy mules at Bent's fort — 
Fort William. Usually there was a large stock of ani- 
mals here, for the Indians, returning from their raids 
into Mexico, often traded a part of their plunder for 
goods. 

The party now returned to St. Vrain's fort, which they 
reached on the 23d. Here Fitzpatrick and his party 
were found safe and well, and also Carson, who had 
brought with him ten good mules with the necessary 
pack animals. The provisions which Fitzpatrick had 
brought and over which he had watched with great care, 
were very welcome to the hungry explorers. At this 
post the Delaware Indians determined to return to their 
home. Fremont made up his mind that he would try 
the pass through which the Cache-a-la-Poudre flowed, 
and he again divided the party, sending Fitzpatrick 
across the plains to the mouth of the Laramie River, to 
follow the usual emigrant trail and to meet him at Fort 
Hall. Fremont with thirteen men was to take the lon- 
ger road about. He started up the Cache-a-la-Poudre, 
marched westward through the Medicine Bow Moun- 
tains to the North Platte River, which he crossed. The 
way was not exceptionally difficult except for the fact 
that it ran through large and tough bushes of sage 
brush, which made the hauling hard. Buffalo were 
abundant and food was plenty. Indeed, so many were 
killed that they spent a day or two in camp drying meat 



Fremont 419 

as provision for the future. While they were occupied 
at this, they were charged by about seventy mounted 
Indians, but these were seen by the horse guard, the 
horses driven into camp and the party took up a defen- 
sive position in a grove of timber, so that the Indians, 
just before the howitzer was fired at them, haked and 
explained that they had taken the camp for one of hos- 
tile Indians. This war-party was one of Arapahoes 
and Cheyennes, returning unsuccessful from a journey 
against their enemies, the Shoshoni. They had lost 
several men and were not in a very pleasant frame of 
mind. 

From here, turning south, the party struck across to 
the Sweetwater River and at length reached the trail to 
the Oregon, being thus on the same ground that they 
had traversed the previous year. Green River, then 
called Prairie-Hen River, was reached August 16, and 
something is said of the impressions among the residents 
in the country about the lower course of the Colorado. 
Says Fremont: "From many descriptions of trappers it 
is probable that in its foaming course among its lofty 
precipices it presents many scenes of wild grandeur; and 
though offering many temptations, and often discussed, 
no trappers have been found bold enough to undertake 
a voyage which has so certain a prospect of a fatal termi- 
nation. The Indians have strange stories of beautiful 
valleys abounding with beaver shut up among inaccessi- 
ble walls of rock in the lower course of the river, and to 
which the neighboring Indians, in their occasional wars 
with the Spaniards and among themselves, drive their 



420 Trails of the Pathfinders 

herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, leaving them to past- 
ure in perfect security." Fremont was ignorant that 
nearly eighteen years before Ashley had descended the 
Green River in a boat, and had inscribed his name and a 
date on the rock which was seen there by Major J. W. 
Powell more than forty years later. But Ashley's expe- 
dition did not get much farther than the mouth of Ashley 
River, where it was wrecked and the trip abandoned. 
Not long after crossing Green River they passed quite 
near Bridger's fort, and then sent Carson on to Fort 
Hall to secure provisions, while Fremont with his party 
went on to Bear River. Following down this stream 
they met a party of emigrants, saw more or less game in 
the way of antelope and elk, and, on approaching the 
Shoshoni village, were charged by the Indians, who sup- 
posed the white men a party of Sioux, because they car- 
ried a flag regarded by these people as an emblem of 
hostility, being usually carried by the Sioux, and the 
neighboring mountain Indians when they came against 
the Shoshoni to war. The true character of Fremont's 
party was recognized by the Indians before they got near 
them and they were kindly received in the village and ob- 
tained provisions there. Further down the stream the 
celebrated Beer Springs, "which, on account of the effer- 
vescing gas and acid taste, have received their name 
from the voyageurs and trappers of the country, who, in 
the midst of their rude and hard lives, are fond of find- 
ing some fancied resemblance to the luxuries they rarely 
have the fortune to enjoy." The water of some of these 
springs is hot, and has a pungent and disagreeable me- 



Fremont 421 

tallic taste leaving a burning effect on the tongue. The 
Beer, or Soda Springs, are of the same character as the 
boiling springs at the foot of Pike's Peak, but those are 
not hot. 

It was in the neighborhood of Bear River that Fre- 
mont and his party first came in contact with the Indians 
which he calls Root Diggers, and which in those old 
times were spoken of as Digger Indians. They are vari- 
ous tribes and bands of Pah-utes, occupying the desert 
country of the Rocky Mountains, whose subsistence is 
derived chiefly from roots and seeds, and from such 
small animals as they capture. 

The country which Fremont was crossing had form- 
erly abounded in game, but the buffalo had all disap- 
peared. Even as early as this (1843), attention had 
been called to the disappearance of the buffalo, and Fre- 
mont says: "The extraordinary rapidity with which the 
buffalo is disappearing from our territories will not ap- 
pear surprising when we remember the great scale on 
which their destruction is yearly carried on. With in- 
considerable exceptions, the business of the American 
trading-posts is carried on in their skins; every year 
the Indian villages make new lodges for which the skin 
of the buffalo furnishes the material; and in that portion 
of the country where they are still found, the Indians 
derive their entire support from them and slaughter 
them with a thoughtless and abominable extravagance. 
Like the Indians themselves, they have been a character- 
istic of the Great West; and as, hke them, they are visi- 
bly diminishing, it will be interesting to throw a glance 



422 Trails of the Pathfinders 

backward through the last twenty years and give some 
account of their former distribution through the country 
and the Hmit of their western range. 

"The information is derived principally from Mr. 
Fitzpatrick, supported by my own personal knowledge 
and acquaintance with the country. Our knowledge 
does not go farther back than the spring of 1824, at 
which time the buffalo were spread in immense numbers 
over the Green River and Bear River valleys, and 
through all the country lying between the Colorado, or 
Green River, of the Gulf of California, and Lewis' fork 
of the Columbia River; the meridian of Fort Hall then 
forming the western limit of their range. The buffalo 
then remained for many years in that country and fre- 
quently moved down the valley of the Columbia on both 
sides of the river as far as the Fishing Falls. Below 
this point they never descended in any numbers. About 
the year 1834 or 1835 they began to diminish very rap- 
idly and continued to decrease until 1838 or 1840, when, 
with the country we have just described, they entirely 
abandoned all the waters of the Pacific north of Lewis' 
fork of the Columbia. At that time the Flathead Ind- 
ians were in the habit of finding their buffalo on the 
heads of Salmon River, and other streams of the Colum- 
bia; but now they never meet with them farther west 
than the three forks of the Missouri or the plains of the 
Yellowstone River. 

*Tn the course of our journey It will be remembered 
that the buffalo have not so entirely abandoned the 
waters of the Pacific, in the Rocky Mountain region 



Fremont 423 

South of the Sweetwater, as in the country North of the 
Great Pass. This partial distribution can only be ac- 
counted for in the great pastoral beauty of that country, 
which bears marks of having long been one of their 
favorite haunts, and by the fact that the white hunters 
have more frequented the Northern than the Southern 
region — it being North of the South Pass that the hun- 
ters, trappers and traders have had their rendezvous for 
many years past; and from that section also the greater 
portion of the beaver and rich furs were taken, although 
always the most dangerous as well as the most profitable 
hunting ground. 

"In that region lying between the Green or Colorado 
River and the head waters of the Rio del Norte, over the 
Yampah,Kooyahy White, and Grand rivers — all of which 
are the waters of the Colorado — the buffalo never ex- 
tended so far to the westward as they did on the waters 
of the Columbia; and only in one or two instances have 
they been known to descend as far west as the mouth of 
the White River. In travelling through the country west 
of the Rocky Mountains, observations readily led me to 
the impression that the buffalo had, for the first time, 
crossed that range to the waters of the Pacific only a few 
years prior to the period we are considering and in this 
opinion I am sustained by Mr. Fitzpatrick and the older 
trappers in that country. In the region West of the Rocky 
Mountains we never meet with any of the ancient vestiges 
which throughout all the country lying upon their East- 
ern waters are found in the great highways, continuous 
for hundreds of miles, always several inches and some- 



424 Trails of the Pathfinders 

times several feet in depth which the buffalo have made 
in crossing from one river to another or in traversing the 
mountain ranges. The Snake Indians, more particu- 
larly those lov^ down upon Lewis' fork, have always been 
very grateful to the American trappers for the great kind- 
ness (as they frequently expressed it) which they did to 
them in driving the buffalo so low down the Columbia 
River. 

"The extraordinary abundance of the buffalo on the 
east side of the Rocky Mountains and their extraordi- 
nary diminution will be made clearly evident from the 
following statement: At any time between the years 
1824 and 1836 a traveller might start from any given 
point South or North in the Rocky Mountain range, 
journeying by the most direct route to the Missouri 
River, and, during the whole distance, his road would 
be always among large bands of buffalo, which would 
never be out of his view until he arrived almost within 
sight of the abodes of civilization. 

"At this time the buffalo occupy but a very limited 
space, principally along the Eastern base of the Rocky 
Mountains, sometimes extending at their Southern 
extremity to a considerable distance into the plains 
between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers and along the 
Eastern frontier of New Mexico as far South as Texas. 

"The following statement, which I owe to the kind- 
ness of Mr. Sanford, a partner in the American Fur 
Company, will further illustrate this subject by ex- 
tensive knowledge acquired during several years of 
travel through the region inhabited by the buffalo: 



Fremont 425 

*' 'The total amount of robes annually traded by our- 
selves and others will not be found to differ much from 
the following statement: 



ROBES. 



American Fur Company 70,000 

Hudson Bay Company 10,000 

All other companies, probably 10,000 

Making a total of. 90,000 

as an average annual return for the last eight or ten 
years. 

" ' In the Northwest, the Hudson's Bay Company pur- 
chased from the Indians but a very small number — their 
only market being Canada, to which the cost of transpor- 
tation nearly equals the produce of the furs; and it is only 
within a very recent period that they have received buf- 
falo robes in trade; and out of the great number of buf- 
falo annually killed throughout the extensive regions in- 
habited by the Camanches and other kindred tribes, no 
robes whatever are furnished for trade. During only 
four months of the year (from November until March) 
the skins are good for dressing; those obtained in the 
remaining eight months being valueless to traders, and 
the hides of bulls are never taken off or dressed as robes 
at any season. Probably not more than one-third of the 
skins are taken from the animals killed, even when they 
are in good season, the labor of preparing and dressing 
the robes being very great, and it is seldom that a lodge 
trades more than twenty skins in a year. It is during 
the summer months, and in the early part of autumn 
that the greatest number of buffalo are killed, and yet 



426 Trails of the Pathfinders 

at this time a skin is never taken for the purpose of 
trade.' . . ." 

Fremont's party at this time was on short allowance 
of food. Word had been sent to Carson to bring from 
Fort Hall a pack animal loaded with provisions, for there 
was no game in the country and it was hard to purchase 
food of any kind from the Indians. 

On September 3 Carson rode into camp with provi- 
sions sufficient for a few days. The party kept on down 
Bear River, and on the 6th from the top of a hill saw the 
Great Salt Lake. 

Up to this time this lake had been seen by compara- 
tively few white people; in fact, only by trappers who 
were wintering through the country in search of beaver 
and who cared for geography only so far as it helped 
them on their way. No white man's boat had ever 
floated on its dense waters, its islands had never been 
visited, and no one had made a survey of its shores or 
even passed all around it. Among trappers it was gen- 
erally beheved that while the lake had no visible outlet 
there was somewhere in it a tremendous whirlpool 
through which its waters flowed out by a subterranean 
channel to the ocean. 

All these facts and beliefs made Fremont very anxious 
to visit the lake and survey it; and having with him a 
rubber boat he had high hopes of what he might accom- 
plish. However, since the party was on short allowance, 
the provisions which Carson had brought with him being 
now exhausted, he sent back to Fort Hall seven of his 
extra men under the charge of Fran9ois Lajeunesse. 



Fremont 427 

The party was now reduced to eight, five of whom were 
to make the first voyage of discovery on the Great Salt 
Lake, while three should remain on the shore as camp 
keepers. It was only now discovered that the boat was 
badly put together, and when put in the water and 
loaded it leaked air in rather a serious way, so that the 
constant use of the bellows was needed to keep it afloat. 
Fortunately they had good weather at starting, for the 
day was very calm; and they reached one of the islands 
to find the rocks along the water's edge encrusted with 
salt, and a windrow from ten to twenty feet in breadth, 
consisting of the larvae of some small insect which in- 
habited the water, and had been washed up on the shore. 
These worms, so called, are the common food of certain 
tribes of Indians living in the neighborhood of these salt 
or alkaline lakes. There was little on the island to at- 
tract explorers, and in view of the frail nature of their 
craft, and the danger of storms, they did not stay long, 
but re-embarking reached the shore at a point quite dis- 
tant from their camp. Food continued scarce and a day 
or two later they killed a horse for food. 

At Fort Hall a few horses and oxen were purchased, 
the latter for food, and here Fremont sent back eleven 
of his men, among them Basil Lajeunesse, a good man 
whom Fremont was sorry to lose. Leaving Fort Hall 
September 22 the journey was continued down Snake 
River. 



CHAPTER XXIX 
FREMONT 

IV 

KEEPING on down Snake River, sometimes in its 
valley, sometimes, to avoid bad travelling, march- 
ing back on the hills, the party went on. Before 
long the Grand Rond was passed; and soon after this 
they entered the timber, through a part of which they 
were obliged to cut their way. 

When the missionary station, occupied by Dr. Whit- 
man, was reached, it was found that he was absent on a 
visit to the Dalles of the Columbia; but here were seen 
a party of emigrants — men, women, and children — all 
in good health, and living largely on potatoes, which 
even then were raised here of good quality and in some 
quantity. 

All the trading-posts in the Oregon country were still 
controlled by the Hudson's Bay people, but all received 
Fremont cordially, and helped him on his way. They 
crossed John Day's river, the Des Chutes, called by Fre- 
mont Riviere aux Chutes. At the Dalles was a comfort- 
able settlement: **Two good-looking wooden dwelling 
houses, and a large school house, with stables, barn and 

428 



Fremont 429 

garden, and large cleared fields between the houses and 
the river bank, on which were scattered the wooden huts 
of an Indian village." Here the party again divided, 
Fremont leaving a part of his people at the Dalles with 
Carson, while he and Mr. Preuss went on down the river 
by canoe. 

The new mode of travel seemed very delightful to men 
who had been for months journeying on foot and on 
horseback over a rough country. It was very pleasant 
to float along down the broad stream, camping from 
time to time to build their fires, and cook the fat salmon, 
and potatoes and coffee, which they had, with bread and 
sugar — luxuries to which they had long been strangers. 
It was a motley group, but a contented one. Three Ind- 
ians assisted in paddling the canoe, while the commander 
of the expedition, the German, Preuss, the Frenchman, 
Bernier, and the colored man, Jacob, floated onward to 
the sea. Fremont's eagerness to reach Fort Vancouver 
led him to travel during a part of each night; and for the 
greater part of the voyage they had beautiful weather, 
made good progress, and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. 
They were now in sight of the splendid Cascade range, 
and of the towering peaks of Mount Hood, St. Helens, 
and, later. Mount Rainier. As they passed on down the 
river the hills grew lower, and presently, one night, they 
heard the noise of a sawmill at work on the bank, and 
camped not far from Fort Vancouver. Here, Dr. Mc- 
Laughlin, the executive officer of the Hudson's Bay 
Company for the territory West of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, received the travellers with that courtesy and 



430 Trails of the Pathfinders 

hospitality for which he was so well known, and con- 
cerning which all those who passed through the region 
in early days spoke with so much gratitude. 

About the fort were many American emigrants, some 
of them in a more or less destitute condition, but all of 
them supplied with the necessaries of life by the kindly 
Hudson's Bay officer, who allowed them to pay for what 
they had by their labor. 

From Dr. McLaughlin Fremont procured three 
months' provisions, and through his kindness was en- 
abled also to secure men and boats to transport these 
provisions up the river to the camp of his main party 
at the Dalles. The return journey was slow with the 
laden boats, for they were obliged to cordelle the Mack- 
inaw along the shore, being unable to overcome the swift 
water by their oars. 

From the Dalles it was Fremont's purpose to go South, 
on the West side of the Cascade range, as far as Klam- 
ath Lake — by Fremont written Tlamath Lake; thence 
south to the reputed Buenaventura River, which is said 
to empty into San Francisco Bay; thence across the 
desert to the Rocky Mountains, opposite the headwaters 
of the Arkansas River, and there, crossing the moun- 
tains, to follow down the Arkansas to Bent's Fort, and 
so back to St. Louis. Much of this region had never 
been passed over by a surveyor. To make this trip at 
the beginning of winter, the party consisted of twenty- 
five men, with one hundred and four mules and horses, 
and a few California cattle, to be driven along as food 
for the company. 



Fremont 431 

After leaving the Dalles, Fremont's whole party were 
occupied in making the necessary preparations for the 
start into this new region. Horses were purchased, pro- 
visions accumulated, all unnecessary baggage cut out 
and left behind, and the little wagon which had hith- 
erto carried the instruments given to the mission. The 
howitzer, however, was to be taken with them. Here 
a Chinook Indian, nineteen years old, who had expressed 
a desire to see the whites, was permitted to join the 
party. 

They started November 25 and followed along the 
plateau on the east flanks of the Cascade range, and so 
on the western side of the Fall River. The weather 
was cold and the streams frozen along the edges, while 
snow lay on the ground. When the sky cleared superb 
views were had of Mounts St. Helens, Hood, Rainier, 
Jefferson and other mountains of what is now called the 
Presidential range. The weather grew colder and the 
road more rough, it being over volcanic plains, often 
interrupted by deep gulches or stream valleys. They 
were now passing through the country of the Nez Perce, 
the Cayuse, and certain tribes of Diggers, and from 
their Indian guides heard more or less alarming accounts 
of the fierceness and treachery of the Indians before 
them. December 10 they reached Klamath Lake and 
saw smoke arising from different points about it. 
Here, for the purpose of encouraging their guides, who 
evidently felt very shaky about the local Indians, and 
alarming the latter, Fremont caused the howitzer to be 
fired with a shell, and tells that "the bursting of the 



432 Trails of the Pathfinders 

shell at a distance, which was something like a second 
fire of the gun, amazed and bewildered them with de- 
light. It inspired them (the guides) with triumphant 
feelings, but on the camps at a distance the effect was 
different, for the smokes in the lake and on the shores 
immediately disappeared." 

The next day Fremont set out to look up the Indians, 
and before long came near to a village from which two 
people were seen advancing to meet them. 

"We were surprised, on riding up, to find one of them 
a woman, having never before known a squaw to take 
any part in the business of war. They were the village 
chief and his wife, who, in excitement and alarm at the 
unusual event and appearance, had come out to meet 
their fate together. The chief was a very prepossessing 
Indian, with very handsome features, and a singularly 
soft and agreeable voice — so remarkable as to attract 
general notice. 

"The huts were grouped together on the bank of the 
river, which, from being spread out in a shallow marsh 
at the upper end of the lake, was collected here into a 
single stream. They were large, round huts, perhaps 
twenty feet in diameter, with rounded tops, on which was 
the door by which they descended into the interior. 
Within, they were supported by posts and beams. 

"Almost like plants these people seemed to have 
adapted themselves to the soil, and to be growing on 
what the immediate locality afforded. Their only sub- 
sistence at this time appeared to be a small fish, great 
quantities of which, that had been smoked and dried, 



Fremont 433 

were suspended on strings about the lodge. Heaps of 
straw were lying around, and their residence in the midst 
of grass and rushes had taught them a peculiar skill in 
converting this material to useful purposes. Their 
shoes were made of straw or grass, which seemed well 
adapted for a snowy country, and the women wore on 
their heads a closely woven basket, which made a very 
good cap. Among other things were parti-colored mats 
about four feet square, which we purchased to lay on the 
snow under our blankets and to use for table-cloths. 

"Numbers of singular-looking dogs, resembling 
wolves, were sitting on the tops of the huts, and of these 
we purchased a young one, which, after its birthplace, 
was named Tlamath. The language spoken by these 
Indians is different from that of the Shoshone and Co- 
lumbia River tribes, and otherwise than by signs they 
cannot understand each other. They made us com- 
prehend that they were at war with the people who lived 
to the southward and to the eastward, but I could ob- 
tain from them no certain information. The river on 
which they live enters the Cascade Mountains on the 
western side of the lake, and breaks through them by 
a passage impracticable for travellers, but over the 
mountains to the northward are passes which present no 
other obstacle than in the almost impenetrable forests. 
Unlike any Indians we had previously seen these wore 
shells in their noses. We returned to our camp, after 
remaining here an hour or two, accompanied by a num- 
ber of Indians." 

Like many other persons since that time, Fremont 



434 Trails of the Pathfinders 

was much impressed by the attractions of Klamath 
Lake, and he stopped here a short time to rest his ani- 
mals. From this point on there were no maps, and 
practically nothing could be learned of the country from 
the Indians, although they drew rough maps in the ef- 
fort to direct the explorers. The road before them was 
hard and difficult, much of it through heavy forest, 
made hard to travel by fallen trees, and by snow, which 
was constantly growing deeper. After two or three 
very laborious and most uncertain days, they came sud- 
denly to the edge of a precipice, from which they could 
look over into a green and sunshiny valley below, partly 
filled by a great lake, which, from its appearance, Fre- 
mont called Summer Lake. It stands so on the map to- 
day. The descent from the mountain was a difficult 
one, but at last a way was found. It was impossible, 
however, to reach the shores of the lake, on account of 
the deep mud. However, streams of good water were 
passed at sufficient intervals. They had now left the 
forest behind them, and their fuel consisted of willow 
twigs and sage brush. A little farther along another 
lake was approached, called Lake Abert, after Colonel 
Abert, then the Chief of Engineers. The water of this 
lake, however, was very bad. Everywhere about this 
lake were signs of Digger Indians, and about this time 
they came upon a broad trail over which horses had 
passed. Most of the country was sterile, and as they 
crossed the mountains, from the watershed of these 
lakes, they found snow a foot deep. 



CHAPTER XXX 
FREMONT 



NEW-YEAR'S DAY found them travelling through 
the desert, over a rough, sandy road. The next 
day they reached a field of hot springs, the vapor 
from which was visible a long way off. Fremont was 
growing uneasy. He had very little idea where he was. 
There appeared to be no game in the country, except 
hares, though occasional signs were seen of sheep and 
antelope. His animals had begun to die, and he felt the 
necessity of proceeding with great caution. Because 
of the uncertainty of water for his animals, he formed the 
plan of exploring the country in advance each day, and 
leaving the main party behind. On January lo, a beau- 
tiful lake, some twenty miles broad, was seen from the 
top of a ridge, and they proceeded toward it. On the 
way herds of mountain-sheep were seen on the hills. 
When they came on a little stream about a mile from 
the margin of the lake, they found a broad Indian trail 
following the shores of the lake to the southward. This 
was followed for a short distance, and then ascended a 
precipice, against which the water dashed below, and it 

435 



436 Trails of the Pathfinders 

was very difficult to get the howitzer along this trail. 
Mountain-sheep in numbers, and ducks, and some fish 
were seen, and the party passed the pyramid which 
rises out of the lake and gives it its name. The last of 
the cattle driven from the Dalles was killed here for 
food. On January 15 a few Indians made their ap- 
pearance about the camp, and one of them was per- 
suaded to come into it. It was difficult to communicate 
with him; but from what he said, it was inferred that at 
the end of the lake was a river, which subsequent in- 
vestigation showed ran into the lake, which has no out- 
let. Here, to the great delight of the white men, the 
Indians brought in fish to trade. Fremont calls them 
salmon trout, and says that they were from two to four 
feet in length. They appeared to form the chief food 
of these Indians, who, Fremont says, hold the fishery 
in exclusive possession, and who are different from the 
"Digger" Indians so frequently spoken of in crossing 
the desert. It appeared that these Indians were in com- 
munication either with the whites or with other Indians 
knowing the whites, for they possessed articles of civil- 
ized manufacture. 

The party now followed up the stream running into 
Pyramid Lake, travelling along toward the Sierra Ne- 
vada Mountains. They were on an Indian trail, and 
hoped soon to find the Buenaventura River, for which 
they had been looking. Columns of smoke rising over 
the country at intervals made them sure that the Ind- 
ians were notifying each other that strangers had come 
into the country. Their animals were growing thin 



Fremont 437 

and weak; their feet were much worn away by the 
rocks, and many of them were lame. Fremont de- 
cided, therefore, that he must abandon his course to 
the eastward and must cross the mountains into the 
valley of the Sacramento River as soon as possible. 

Keeping on southward along the mountains, they 
crossed streams issuing from them which tempted them 
to try for a pass; but the heavy snows which appeared 
to lie on the mountains induced the leader to keep on 
farther southward. January 24 an Indian came into 
the camp and offered the strangers a little bag of pine 
nuts, which they purchased from him. They also gave 
him some presents; and as nearly as they could under- 
stand his signs he promised to conduct them to the 
opening of a pass of which he knew. From here on 
they constantly saw Indians, all of whom traded pine 
nuts to them, and all were armed with bows and stone- 
pointed arrows. The level of the country appeared to 
be growing higher, and the snow grew deeper. They 
put one of their guides on a horse, but he was evidently 
unacquainted with the animal, and did not even know 
how to guide it. Soon they entered the range, and hav- 
ing left the desert country, found a country well tim- 
bered, and which appeared to produce considerable 
game. They climbed to the head of the stream, passed 
over a ridge, and saw from the summit a sunlit coun- 
try where there was evidently grass. Here the Indians 
were wearing snowshoes, and accompanied the party, 
running around them, and swiftly and easily travelling 
over the snow. They appeared to have no idea of the 



438 Trails of the Pathfinders 

power of fire-arms, and thought themselves perfectly 
safe so long as they kept out of arm's reach. 

Descending on the head of this next stream, Fremont 
learned, before he had gone very far, that this was 
merely the head of another stream running eastward 
into the Great Basin, and that they still had to cross a 
great ridge before they could reach Pacific waters. 

The Indians here had heard of a party of twelve white 
men who, two years before, had ascended the river and 
crossed to the other side; but this was done when it was 
summer-time and there was little or no snow to oppose 
the passage; and at present the Indians declared it could 
not be done. Nevertheless, they agreed to furnish a 
guide to take the whites as far as possible. Provisions 
were now getting low, and consisted chiefly of pease, a 
little flour, some coffee, and a quantity of sugar. It 
was on this day, January 29, that the howitzer, which 
had been dragged so far, was finally abandoned. On 
January 31 they continued to climb the mountains 
among the snow. Indians kept visiting them in greater 
and greater numbers, and from all were heard most 
discouraging accounts of the possibility of crossing the 
range. An old man told them that if they could break 
through the snow, at the end of three days they would 
come upon grass, which would be about six inches high; 
and here Fremont decided to attempt the passage and 
to try to reach Sutter's ranch on the Sacramento. Prep- 
arations were made, therefore, to face the cold of the 
heights, and clothing was repaired and put in order, and 
a new guide was engaged, who was also fitted out with 



Fremont 439 

special reference to the hardships likely to be met with. 
A dog that had been with them for some little time was 
killed, and this, with a few rabbits purchased from the 
Indians, gave the party a strengthening meal. 

When they started, the snow soon became so deep 
that it was absolutely necessary that a road should be 
broken for the animals. This was done in systematic 
fashion, and for several days they advanced by very 
short marches, but without meeting any obstacles 
greater than the depth of the snow. Sometimes the 
lack of feed at the end of the day's march would render 
it necessary to send back the animals to feed at some 
point on the trail just passed over, where there was good 
pasture. Two or three days of this hard work was very 
discouraging. However, Fremont's energy never fal- 
tered. He and Carson and Fitzpatrick, on snowshoes, 
went ahead, reconnoitring in all directions and trying 
to pick out a good road, and on February 6 they reached 
a peak from which they saw the valley of the Sacra- 
mento; and Carson recognized various natural features 
which he had not seen for fifteen years. 

The difficulties of travel for the horses was so great, 
and the hillsides so steep, that many of the animals found 
the greatest difficulty in getting along themselves and 
could not carry their loads. Sledges were made, there- 
fore, on which the men drew the baggage over the snow; 
but of course this made progress very slow indeed. The 
hunters went out to look for game, but found none. 

It was on February 20 that they camped with the ani- 
mals that were left, and with all the material of the 



440 Trails of the Pathfinders 

camp, on the summit of a pass in the dividing ridge, 
about a thousand miles from the Dalles, whence they 
had started. The prospects of the descent were not 
promising. Before them were rough mountains, among 
which lay deep fields of snow; but shortly after they 
started on their way, they heard the roll of thunder, 
and looking toward the valley saw a thunder-storm in 
progress. As the sky cleared, they could see a shining 
line of water leading toward another broader and larger 
sheet; and in these they recognized the Sacramento 
River and the bay of San Francisco. Yet so frequent 
had been their disappointments during their wanderings 
through the rough mountains that they hardly dared to 
believe that they were at last to penetrate the warm, 
pleasing country where they should be free from the 
hardships and exposure of the last few months. This 
night they killed a mule for food, and again the next 
night. February 23 was their hardest day, for they 
were forced to travel along steep and slippery mountain- 
sides, where moisture, snow, and ice, together with the 
tough evergreens of the mountain, made walking dif- 
ficult and wearisome; but on this night a storm showered 
upon them rain and not snow. The men, exhausted by 
the labor of travel and by the lack of food, were begin- 
ning to lose strength and courage. 

However, now they were constantly descending. 
The thermometer was just about freezing, and they had 
left the Sierras behind. The green grass was beginning 
to make its appearance. The river was descending 
rapidly, and growing larger. Soon they came to decidu- 



Fremont 441 

ous trees and a warmer atmosphere. The country was 
covered with growing plants, and the voices of singing 
birds were heard in the summer air. They were still 
killing the horses for food. 

Fremont now believed that the main difficulties of 
the road were over, and leaving Fitzpatrick to follow 
slowly with the main camp, he started ahead with a 
party of eight, intending to reach Mr. Sutter's house 
as soon as possible, and to return with provisions and 
fresh animals for the party. Fitzpatrick was left in 
command of the others, with instructions to bring on 
the animals slowly, for all were very weak. 

But they were not yet out of their troubles. For 
much of the way the river ran through narrow canyons, 
and the travellers were obliged to clamber along the 
mountain side, over a road rough and almost impassable 
for their enfeebled live-stock. However, at their camps 
they found grass. As they went on they were obliged to 
leave their animals behind, and Fremont left his favor- 
ite horse, Proveau, which could no longer keep up. One 
of the men started back to bring the horse, but did not 
return until the second day, when it was apparent that 
his mind was deranged. This day Mr. Preuss, who had 
gone ahead, did not appear at night, and his absence 
caused much anxiety. The next day they met some 
Indians, and kept on down the river, still continuing 
their search for the lost man. They came upon tracks 
of Indians, little piles of mussel shells and old fires where 
they had cooked. On March 4 they came on an Indian 
village, where they found houses, and near each one a 



442 Trails of the Pathfinders 

store-house of acorns, In the houses were basketfuls 
of roasted acorns, and although the Indians had fled, 
the travellers supplied themselves with this food, leaving 
various small articles in payment. In a village not far 
below three Indian women were captured. They were 
much frightened, but, encouraged by good treatment, 
offered food. This night Mr. Preuss came in, very 
weak from starvation, but not otherwise in bad condi- 
tion. He had subsisted on roots, ants, frogs, and had 
received some acorns from Indians whom he met. 

At the next village Indians were found wearing shirts 
of civilized manufacture, and then they came to another 
and larger village, where the people were dressed more 
or less in European clothing. Here was a man who 
could speak Spanish, a vaquero in the service of Captain 
Sutter, whose fort was but a short distance away. At 
the fort Fremont was met by Captain Sutter, who gave 
him a cordial reception, and a night of enjoyment of all 
the luxuries that he had so long been without. The 
next day, with fresh horses and provisions, Fremont 
hurried back to meet Fitzpatrick, and brought in the 
rest of the party. The second division had had a hard 
time, having lost many animals; so that of the sixty- 
seven horses and mules with which they started to cross 
the Sierras, only thirty-three reached the valley of the 
Sacramento. The beef, the bread, and the salmon, 
which Fremont brought, put heart into the starving men, 
and before long they had reached a permanent camp 
not far from Sutter's fort. 

Captain Sutter had come to California from the west- 



Fremont 443 

ern part of Missouri in 1838-39, and had settled in the 
Sacramento valley on a large grant of land received from 
the Mexican Government. Though he had at first had 
some trouble with the Indians, he succeeded, by his ju- 
dicious treatment, in converting them into a peaceable 
and industrious people. They did practically all the 
work of the ranch, and were paid in shirts, blankets, 
and articles of clothing. The soil was fertile, and its 
yield ample. Cattle and horses were abundant. He 
had a number of mechanics, who made whatever he 
needed. 

The blacksmith of Fremont's party, desiring to re- 
main in California, was here discharged, as were also 
four others of the party. Derosier, one of the best men 
in the outfit, the one who a few days before had gone 
back after Fremont's horse, wandered away from the 
camp and never returned. 

On March 24 the party having recovered from the 
suffering endured in crossing the mountains, and being 
now once more strong, set out to continue their journey. 
An ample stock of provisions had been secured, and a 
fresh supply of animals, consisting of one hundred and 
thirty horses and mules, and about thirty head of cattle, 
were also secured. An Indian herder was furnished by 
Captain Sutter to look after the stock, a great part of 
which was absolutely wild. From this point it was pur- 
posed to go south, up the valley of the San Joaquin, to 
a pass at its head. Thence they were to move south- 
eastwardly to reach the Spanish trail, which led to Santa 
Fe. Their southward journey was delightful. Fre- 



444 Trails of the Pathfinders 

mont speaks in terms of enthusiasm of the flowers they 
met with, of the beautiful groves of oaks, the songs of 
the birds, the sweet odors that perfumed the air. Elk 
and antelope were in great abundance, and the wild 
horses were so numerous that the travellers feared for the 
safety of the wild stock they were driving with them. 
On April 7 they crossed the divide between the head- 
waters of the San Joaquin and the Tule Lakes. The 
passage brought with it more or less change in climate 
and a distinct change in surroundings. Indians were 
met with constantly, and most of them seemed well dis- 
posed. As they lowered their altitude, after passing 
over the divide, the way became more rough, though 
the feed for the animals was still good. 

Fortunately Fremont's party was ahead of the annual 
Santa Fe caravans, which insured them good grass at the 
camping places. They had not gone far before they 
met parties of Mohave Indians, who seemed friendly 
enough; but on the day following, two Spaniards, a man 
and a lad, came into camp telling of their party of six 
having been attacked by Indians, about eighty miles 
beyond the encampment. They had with them about 
thirty horses, and were suddenly attacked by a party 
of Indians, who had previously been in camp and seemed 
friendly. The horse guards — the two who had just 
come into Fremont's camp — drove their animals through 
the attacking party and escaped with their horses, 
which they had left about twenty miles behind on com- 
ing to Fremont's camp. When the white men came to 
the place where the horses had been left, it appeared 



Fremont 445 

that the animals had been driven off by Indians. Car- 
son and Godey with the Mexican Fuentes started after 
them; but in the evening the Mexican returned, his 
horse having given out. 

"In the afternoon of the next day a w^arwhoop v^as 
heard, such as Indians make when returning from a 
victorious enterprise, and soon Carson and Godey ap- 
peared, driving before them a band of horses, recog- 
nized by Fuentes to be part of those they had lost. Two 
bloody scalps, dangling from the end of Godey's gun, 
announced that they had overtaken the Indians as well 
as the horses. They informed us that after Fuentes 
left them, from the failure of his horse, they continued 
the pursuit alone, and toward nightfall entered the 
mountains, into which the trail led. After sunset the 
moon gave light, and they followed the trail by moon- 
shine until late in the night, when it entered a narrow 
defile and was difficult to follow. Afraid of losing it 
in the darkness of the defile, they tied up their horses, 
struck no fire, and lay down to sleep in silence and in 
darkness. Here they lay from midnight till morning. 
At daylight they resumed the pursuit, and about sunrise 
discovered the horses, and immediately dismounting and 
tying up their own, they crept cautiously to a rising 
ground which intervened, from the crest of which they 
perceived the encampment of four lodges close by. 
They proceeded quietly, and had got within thirty or 
forty yards of their object when a movement among the 
horses disclosed them to the Indians. Giving the war 
shout, they instantly charged into the camp, regardless 



446 Trails of the Pathfinders 

of the number which the four lodges would imply. The 
Indians received them with a flight of arrows shot from 
their long bows, one of which passed through Godey's 
shirt collar, barely missing the neck. Our men fired 
their rifles upon a steady aim, and rushed in. Two Ind- 
ians were stretched on the ground, fatally pierced with 
bullets; the rest fled, except a lad that was captured. 
The scalps of the fallen were instantly stripped off"; but 
in the process, one of them, who had two balls through 
his body, sprung to his feet, the blood streaming from 
his skinned head, and uttering a hideous howl. An old 
squaw, possibly his mother, stopped and looked back 
from the mountain-side she was climbing, threatening 
and lamenting. The frightful spectacle appalled the 
stout hearts of our men; but they did what humanity 
required, and quickly terminated the agonies of the gory 
savage. They were now masters of the camp, which 
was a pretty Httle recess in the mountain, wuth a fine 
spring, and apparently safe from all invasion. Great 
preparations had been made to feast a large party, for 
it was a very proper place for a rendezvous, and for the 
celebration of such orgies as robbers of the desert wcruld 
delight in. Several of the best horses had been killed, 
skinned and cut up, for the Indians, living in mountains 
and only coming into the plains to rob and murder, 
make no other use of horses than to eat them. Large 
earthen vessels were on the fire, boiling and stewing the 
horse beef, and several baskets containing fifty or sixty 
pairs of moccasins indicated the presence or expectation 
of a considerable party. They released the boy, who 



Fremont 447 

had given strong evidence of the stoicism or something 
else of the savage character, by commencing his break- 
fast upon a horse's head as soon as he found he was not 
to be killed, but only tied as a prisoner. Their object 
accomplished, our men gathered up all the surviving 
horses, fifteen in number, returned upon their trail, and 
rejoined us at our camp in the afternoon of the same 
day. They rode about one hundred miles in the pur- 
suit and return, and all in thirty hours. The time, place, 
object and numbers considered, this expedition of Car- 
son and Godey may be considered among the boldest 
and most disinterested which the annals of western 
adventure, so full of daring deeds, can present. Two 
men, in a savage desert, pursue day and night an un- 
known body of Indians into the defiles of an unknown 
mountain, attack them on sight without counting num- 
bers, and defeat them in an instant — and for what ? 
To punish the robbers of the desert, and to avenge the 
wrongs of Mexicans whom they did not know. I re- 
peat, it was Carson and Godey who did this — the 
former an American, born in the Boonslick county of 
Missouri; the latter a Frenchman, born in St. Louis 
— and both trained to western enterprise from early 
life." 

A little later the party came to the place where the 
Mexicans had been attacked. There were found the 
two men of the party, both killed by arrows; but 
of the women there was no trace, they having evidently 
been carried away. Journeying onward, making short 
marches, and some that were very long, they kept on 



448 Trails of the Pathfinders 

along the Spanish trail. May 4 — the longest journey 
of all, between fifty and sixty miles without any water — • 
the skeletons of horses were constantly seen along the 
trail. "Hourly expecting to find water, we continued 
to press on, until toward midnight, when, after a hard 
and uninterrupted march of sixteen hours, our wild 
mules began running ahead, and in a mile or two we 
came to a bold running stream — so keen is the sense of 
that animal, in these desert regions, in scenting at a 
distance this necessary of life." 

The next day was spent in camp, that the animals 
might rest and feed. Indians were about them con- 
stantly, and apparently tried to steal their horses. They 
were very bold and insolent, but the whites bore it all, 
being unwilling to be drawn into a fight. These were 
the same people who had murdered the Mexicans; 
they were barefooted and nearly naked; the men were 
armed with bows and arrows, each carrying a quiver 
of thirty or forty shafts. The arrow-heads were made of 
clear, translucent stone, and Fremont says, "Shot from 
their long bows are almost as effective as a gun shot." 
A chief came into camp, and declared his confidence 
in himself and his people, and his belief that they could 
destroy the white men, merely on the ground that they 
were many while the whites were few. The Indians 
were seen hunting lizards, which they dragged from a 
hole by means of a long stick hooked at the end. The 
next day they followed the party, and promptly picked 
up every animal that was left behind to rest and feed. 
That night one of the best men, Tabeau, was killed by 



Fremont 449 

an Indian, having been shot with arrows not far from 
the camp. These Indians did not appear after this day. 
A day or two later the party met Joe Walker, the trapper, 
who now became guide for the expedition. With him 
were eight Americans, who, having started with the 
Spanish caravan, had heard that a party of white men 
were ahead, and had left the caravan and overtaken the 
explorers. On the way they had an encounter with the 
Diggers that had troubled Fremont, and killed two of 
them. 

May 23, they reached Sevier River, a tributary of the 
lake of the same name. Here they were obliged to ferry 
themselves across in boats made of bundles of rushes 
tied together and bound to poles. Here, too, Badeau, 
a good man, was killed by accident; he dragged toward 
him a gun by the muzzle and the gun was discharged. 
Not far beyond they reached Utah Lake, which Fremont 
imagined to be the southern end of Great Salt Lake. 
He was much puzzled, however, that the northern end 
of the lake should be a saturated solution of salt, while 
the southern end was fresh. It does not appear to have 
occurred to him that these were two different bodies of 
water. 

Having crossed the mountains to the valley of White 
River, he reached, on the 3d of June, what he calls the 
winter fort, a trading post belonging to Mr. A. Roubi- 
deau, on the principal fork of the Uintah River. On 
the 7th, they found themselves on the verge of Brown's 
Hole, a name well known to all old-timers in the West, 
and thirty years ago one of the greatest game countries 



450 Trails of the Pathfinders 

in the world. Here mountain-sheep were found, and 
some killed. Two or three days later, buffalo were 
killed; and we may imagine the delight with which the 
travellers found themselves once more back on the range 
where fat cow was to be had. From here they went 
north into the Three Parks, travelling in pleasant 
weather through a country well watered, where grass 
and wood were to be had, and where buffalo, antelope, 
and elk were hardly ever out of sight. On June 14, 
they were in New Park, now called North Park, going 
southward up the Platte River. They soon came upon 
parties of Arapahoes and Sioux, and the camp was full 
of Indians. On June 22 they crossed the mountains 
and found themselves on the headwaters of the Ar- 
kansas. A day or two later they were present at a fight 
which took place between Utes and Arapahoes. The 
Ute women urged the white men to take part in the fight; 
but they felt that it was no concern of theirs, and were 
quite uneasy lest they themselves should be attacked. 
They kept travelhng, and before night had put fif- 
teen miles between themselves and the Indian village, 
and fortified themselves. They were now travelling 
rapidly down the Arkansas, meeting Indians con- 
stantly. Among these were a large village of Paw- 
nees, who received the white men "with unfriendly 
rudeness and characteristic insolence which they never 
fail to display whenever they find an occasion for do- 
ing so with impunity." The Pawnees, indeed, seem 
always subject to the animadversion of the early 
traveller. 



Fremont 451 

The party journeyed down the Arkansas for nearly 
three hundred miles, and on the last day of July, 1844, 
reached the little town of Kansas, on the Missourio 
Fremont's second journey was over. 



INDEX 



Abert, Col., 434. 

Adair, 78. 

Alberta, 254 

Alexander, Henry, 13, ei seq. 

Amahami, 285. 

American Fur Company, 398, 424. 

Annahways, 155, 156. 

Annian, Straits of, 58, 83. 

Antelope, curiosity of, 235. 

Apaches, 88, 337, 339. 

Arapahoes, 170. 

Ankara, 152, 154, 158, 161, 163, 

204, 359- 
Arkansas R., 237. 
Ashley, 420. 
Assiniboia, 254. 
Assiniboine R., 199. 
Assiniboines, 49, 53, 71, 155, 163, 

254, 262, 266, 287. 
Astor, John Jacob, 298, 30T, 391. 
Astoria, 297, 298, 368. 
Athabasca, Lake, 54-55. 
Athabascans, 54. 
Atsena, 170. 

B 

Baker's Bay, 303. 

Bannock Indians, 390. 

Bastonnais, 55. 

Bay of the Holy Spirit, 237, 

Bayou Salade, 380. 

Bear killing, 31. 

Bear R., 389. 

Beaver Indians, 102, 107, 109. 

Beaver Lake, 44, 45, 53. 

Beaverhead, 175, 202. 

Beer Springs, 420. 

Behring's Isle, 78. 

Beliefs of Indians, 129. 

Bent, Charles, 418. 

Bent's Fort, 375, 378, 430. 

Big Horn R., 202. 



Big Sioux R., 68, 145, 206. 

Big White, 205. 

Birch Creek, 200. 

Bissonette, Joseph, 405. 

Black Hills, 151. 

Black Mountains, 147, 151, 155. 

Black Shoe Indians, 157. 

Blackfeet, 160, 168, 178, 202, 254, 

289, 292, 320. 
Blackfoot Indians, 369. 
Blond children, 284. 
Bloods, 291. 
Blueberry Creek, 295. 
Bois Perce, 262. 
Boisais R., 389. 
Bonak Indians, 390. 
"Boston Men," 55. 
Bostonnais, 55. 
Bounty on scalps, 339. 
Bridger, Jas., 361, 404. 
British Columbia, 254. 
Brovi'n's Hole, 384, 385. 
Brules, 148. 

Buenaventura R., 430. 436. 
Buffalo, decoying, 51. 
Buffalo, old range of, 422. 



Cache-a-la-Poudre R., 418. 
Caiguas, 337. 

California and Oregon Trail, 9. 
Calumet birds, 153. 
Calumet Bluff, 146. 
Canadian R., 343, 347. 
Cannon Ball R., 153. 
Canoe Island, 126. 
Cape Disappointment, 370. 
Caribou Island, 42. 
Carrabou, 81. 
Carson, Kit, 362, 395. 
Carver, Jonathan, 57, et seq., 140, 
213- 



453 



454 



Ind 



ex 



Cass Lake, 222. 

Caws, 374. 

Cayuse, 366. 

Cedar Island, 149. 

Cedar Lake, 43, 289. 

Chaboneau, 173, 174, 177, 196, 202. 

Chagouemig, 36. 

Chequamegon, 37. 

Cherokees, 353. 

Cheyennes, 43, 143, 146, IS5. IS^, 

205, 262, 285, 292. 
Chickasaws, 353. 
Chihuahua, 247, 248, 347. 
Chimney Rock, 360. 
Chinook, 188, 304, 367, 390. 
Chipewyans, 54, 88, 90, 103, 130. 
Chippewa, 224. 
Choctaws, 353. 
Chopunnish, 179, 196. 
Chouteau.Cyprian, 395. 
Christineaux, 42, 53. 
Churchill R., 54. 
Cimarron R., 334. 
Clear R., 219. 
Clearwater R., 290. 
Coeur d'Alene Indians, 371. 
Cceur d'Alene R., 318. 
Colter's Hell, 204. 
Comancheros, 354. 
Comanches, 240, 344. 
Commerce of the Prairies, 6, 332. 
Converse with the spirits, 72. 
Coppermine R., 86, 116. 
"Cordelle," 169. 
Coues, Dr. Elliott, 10, 222, 243, 251, 

254, 297. 
Council Grove, 333. 
Coureurs des bois, 12, 13. 
Court House Rock, 360. 
Cox, Ross, 301. 
Cowelisk R., 186. 
Creeks, 353. 
Crees, 42, 71, loi, 103, 123, 155, 254, 

262, 266. 
Cumberland House, 44, 45, 53, 289. 
Cypress R., 287. 



D 



Dakota, 49. 
Dalles, 367. 
Dancing, 160. 



Dearborn R., 174, 199. 
Deer Mountain, 104, loS. 
Des Chutes R., 428. 
Detroit, 23, 27, 35, 36, 77. 
Digger Indians, 389. 
Dog Plains, 62. 
Dog-rib, 88, 89. 
Dogden Buttes, 282. 
Dry Fork, 169. 
Duluth, 37. 

E 

El Paso del Norte, 247, 347. 

Elk R., 329. 

Eskimo, 92, 93, 94, 97. 



Falls of St. Anthony, 63, 215, 
224. 

Falls of St. Marie, 76. 

Fargo, 262. 

Farnham, Thos. J., 371. 

Fishing, 20, 21. 

Fishing Falls of Columbia, 422. 

Fitzpatrick (of the Broken Hand), 
405, 416. 

Flatheads, 293, 319, 327. 

Floyd, Charles, 145, 206. 

Fols Avoin, 210. 

Fond du Lac, 37. 

Fontaine qui bouit, 416. 

Fort: Bent's, 375, 378, 430; Bour- 
bon, 43, 289; Bridger, 384, 420; 
Clatsop, 190; Chipewyan, 85, 86, 
loi, 108; Cumberland House, 44, 
45, 53, 289; Dauphin, 44; David 
Crockett, 384, 388; des Prairies, 
44, 53; El Puebla, 378; George 
(Astoria), 298, 299, 327; Hall, 389, 
418, 420, 427; John, 404; Mandan, 
156; Michilimackinac, 16; Nippe- 
wen, 44; Okanagan, 371; Pike's, 
217; Rocky Mountain House, 290, 
297, 328; St. Vrain's, 402, 416; 
Vancouver, 367, 392; Vermill- 
ion, 289; William, 298; William 
(Bent's), 375, 378, 395, 418; York, 
249. 

Fowler, Jacob, 10, 

Fox R., 61. 



Index 



455 



Foxes, 6i, 209. 
Frazer R., 98. 
Fremont, John C., 393. 
Fremont's Peak, 410. 
Fur trade in 1785, 86. 



Gallatin R., 174. 

Gama's Land, 78. 

Garces, 10. 

Gass, Sergeant, 201. 

Gens des Terres, 40. 

Godey, 445. 

Goshen's Hole, 404. 

Grand Forks, 261, 271. 

Grand Pawnees, 414. 

Grand Portage, 42, 55, 67, 71, 255, 

290. 
Grand R., 230, 423. 
Grape Creek, 240. 
Gray-haired children, 284. 
Great Basin, 438. 
Great Falls (of Missouri R.), 172. 
Great Kettle Falls, 327. 
Great Narrows, 193. 
Great Rapids (of the Saskatchewan), 

43- 
Great Salt Lake, 426, 449. 
Green R., 408, 419. 
Gregg, Josiah, 332. 
Gros Ventres, 168. 
Gros Ventres of the Prairie, 170, 199, 

293- 



H 



Hair Hills, 259, 265, 288. 

Hairdressing, method of, 79. 

Hare, 88. 

Henry, Alexander, 56. 

Henry, Alexander, the Younger, 154, 

222, 253. 
Henry, William, 56, 298. 
Heterodon platyrhinos, 78. 
Hidatsa, 155. 

Hill of the Little People, 145. 
Horse Creek, 404. 
Horses, catching wild, 235. 
Horses encourage indolence, 274. 
Hudson's Bay Company, 86, 271, 

280, 289, 301. 



Hunt, W. P., 299, 303. 
Huts (of Eskimo), 94. 



Ile de Maurepas, 42. 

Independence Rock, 360, 407. 

Indian tribes: Amahami, 285; An- 
nahways, 155, 156; Apaches, 88, 
337) 339; Arapahoes, 170; Ari- 
kara, 152, 154, 158, 161, 163, 359; 
Assiniboines, 49, 53, 71, 155, 163, 
168, 254, 262, 266, 287; Atsena, 
170; Bannock Indians, 390; Beaver, 
102, 107, 109; Blackfeet, 160, 168, 
178, 202, 254, 289; Blackfoot In- 
dians, 369; Black Shoe Indians, 
157; Bloods, 291; Bonak Indians, 
390; Brules, 148; Caiguas, 337; 
Caws, 374; Cayuse, 356; Chero- 
kees, 353; Cheyennes, 43, 143, 146, 
155, 205, 262, 285, 292; Chicka- 
saws, 353; Chinook, 188, 304, 369, 
390; Chipewyans, 54, 88, 90, 103, 
130; Chippewa, 224; Choctaws, 
353; Chopunnish, 179, 196; Chris- 
tineaux, 42, 53; Coeurd'Alene Ind- 
ians, 371; Comanches, 240, 344; 
Creeks, 353; Crees, 42, 71, loi, 
123, 155, 254, 262; Dakota, 49; 
Digger Indians, 389; Dog Rib, 88; 
Eskimo, 90-97; Flatheads, 293, 
319, 327; Fols Avoin, 210; Gens 
des Terres, 40; Grand Pawnees, 
414; Gros Ventres of the Prairie, 
170, 199, 293; Hare, 88; Hidatsa, 
155; Kans, 232; Kansas, 373; 
Kauzaus Indians, 373; Killa- 
mucks, 188; Killistinaux, 42; Kil- 
listinoes, 42; Kiowas, 240, 344; 
Kinistineaux, 42; Kite, 143, 147; 
Knisteneaux, 102; Kutenais, 295; 
Loucheux, 97; Mahaha, 157; Me- 
nominees, 210, 221; Mindawar- 
carton, 148; Minneconjous, 148; 
Minnetari, 155, 156; Minnetari 
of Fort de Prairie, 170, 199; Min- 
newakaton, 14S; Missourias, 141 
144, 145; Mohave Indians, 444 
Nascud Denee, 127; Navajos, 88 
NezPerces 179, 180, 194, 313. 326 
Ogallalas, 148, 150, 360; Ojibwa, 



456 



Index 



215, 257; Omaha, 144; Osages, 141, 
207, 225, 227, 235; Osinipoilles, 
49, Otoes, 141, 144, 145; Pahkees, 
178; Pah-utes, 421; Pawnawnees, 
68; Pawnee, 68, 142-44, 158, 208, 
227-238; Pawnee Picts, 357; Pei- 
gan, 178, 291; Pierced-nose, 179, 
313; Poncas, 148; Puants, 209; 
Red Knife, 88, 90; Rees, 152, 153, 
205; Ricaras, 156; Rocky Moun- 
tain, 107; Root Diggers, 421; Sac, 
208; Sacs and Foxes, 209, 225; 
Santees, 148; Sarsi, 291, 292; 
Saulteurs, 262; Sauteurs, 209, 
223; Schian, 285; Seminoles, 353; 
Sharha, 158; Shoshoni, 155, 175, 
178, 180, 326; Sioux, 49, 62, 63, 
et passim; Sissetons, 148, 221; 
Sistasoone, 148; Slave, 89; Snake 
Indians, 385, 424; Sokulks, 181; 
Soulier, 285; Soulier Noir, 157, 
283; Spokanes, 313; Staitan, 143; 
Suhtai, 143; Swampy Crees, 43; 
Teton Indians, 149, 204; Tetons 
of the Burned Woods — Minna- 
kenozzo, Saone 148; Tushepaw 
Indians, 179; Utes, 450; Walla 
Wallas, 194, 312, 320, 326, 366; 
Wahpatones, 148; Wahpatoota, 
148; Wattasoons, 157; Winne- 
bagoes, 60, 209, 225; Witapat, 
144; Yanktonnaies, 148; Yank- 
ton Sioux, 146, 148, 152, 221; 
Yanktons of the Plains, 148; Yel- 
low Knives, 88; Yutas, 337. 

Isle a la crosse, Lake, 54. 

Isle de Carre Boeuf, 88. 

Isle of St. Joseph, 76. 

Isles du Castor, 29. 



Jackson's Hole, 362. 

James R., 148. 

Japon, 78. 

Jedso, 78. 

Jefferson, President, 139, 210. 

Jefferson R., 174, 176, 201. 

Jessaume, 154. 

John Day R., 428. 

Jornada del Muerto, 347. 

Judith R., 170. 



K 

Kans, 232. 

Kansas R., 148, 207, 231. 
Kaskaskia, 242, 331. 
Kauzaus Indians, 373. 
Keewatin, 254. 
Killamucks, 188. 
Killistinaux, 42. 
Killistinoes, 42. 
"King George Men," 55, 
Kinistineaux, 42. 
Kiowa Calendar, 346. 
Kiowas, 240, 344. 
Kite Indians, 143, 147. 
Kitkahahk Village, 207. 
Klamath Lake, 430, 434. 
Knife R., 157. 
Knisteneaux, 102. 
Kooyah R., 423. 
Kutenai Park, 295. 
Kutenai Plains, 295. 
Kutenais, 29'5. 



La Charette, 206. 

La Chaudiere, 321. 

Lachine, 14, 15. 

La Cloche, 16. 

La Crosse, 213. 

Lake (or Lac): a la Pluie, 42, 67; 
Arabuthcow, 54, 55; Athabasca, 
54, 5S; Beaver, 44, 45, 53; Cass, 
222; Cedar, 43, 289; Dauphin, 
44; de Bourbon, 43, 67, 289; Des 
Chats, 15; Great Salt, 426, 449; 
Isle a la Crosse, 54; Klamath, 430, 
434; La Sang Sue, 222; Leech, 
222; of the Crees, 42; of the Hills, 
85, 102; of the Woods, 42, 55, 67, 
255; Ottowa, 66; Pepin, 62; 
Pyramid, 436; Rainy, 106, 324; 
Red, 260; St. Louis, 15; Salt, 55; 
Slave, 87, loi, 329; Sturgeon, 287; 
Summer, 434; Temiscamingue, 
40; Tlamath, 430; Tule, 444; 
Upper Red Cedar, 222; Utah, 449; 
Winnebago, 60; Winipegon, 42, 
67; Winnipeg, 255, 289. 

Laramie R., 404. 

L'Arbre Croche, 12, 29. 



Index 



457 



La Riviere qui Court, 148. 

La Roche Jaune, 165. 

Le Borgne, 205. 

Le Boulet R., 153. 

Lee, John, 398. 

Lewis and Clark, 6, 8, 138, et seq. 

Lewis R., 180, 181, 194. 

Little Bear R., 382. 

Little Missouri, 153, 155. 

Little Sandy R., 408. 

Little Snake R., 382. 

Lodge Pole Creek, 404. 

Long — Voyages and Travels, 259. 

Loucheux, 97. 

Louisiana Purchase, 5, 59, 138, 145. 

Loup Fork R., 148, 259. 

M 

Mackenzie, Alexander, 84, et. seq. 
Mackenzie, Donald, 303. 
Mackenzie reaches Pacific Ocean, 

132. 
Macubah, 132. 
Madison R., 174, 202. 
Mahaha, 157. 
Maison du Chien, 282. 
Mandans, 153, et seq. 
Manitoba, 254. 
Maria's R., 199. 
Marquette, Father, 17. 
Massacre at Michilimackinac, 23. 
Mattawa R., 15. 
Matthews, 155. 
Maxwell, L., 395. 
McDougal, Duncan, 298. 
McLaughlin, Dr. J., 367. 
Medicine Bow Mountains, 418. 
Medicine Lodge R., 291. 
Meeting the Shoshoni, 175. 
Menominees, 210, 221. 
Messorie, 65, 68, 83. 
Michilimackinac, 16, 20, 22, 27, 38, 

39. 56. 
Michipicoten, 39-41, 277. 
Milk R., 169. 
Mindawarcarton, 148. 
Minnavavana, 17. 
Minneconjous, 148. 
Minnesota R., 64. 
Minnetari, 155, 156. 



Minnetari of Fort de Prairie, 170, 

199. 
Minnewakaton, 148. 
Missisaki R., 16. 
Missouri R., 17. 
Missourias, 141, 144, 145. 
Mohave Indians, 444. 
Mt. Hood, 429. 
Mt. Rainier, 429. 
Mt. St. Helens, 429. 
Mouse R., 282. 
Musselshell R., 169. 
Mustangs, 350. 



N 



Nanibojou, 41. 

Nascud Denee, 127. 

Natchitoches, 249. 

Naudowessie (of the Plains), 62, 63, 

67. 
Navajos, 88. 
Nebraska, 397. 
Nelson R., 65. 
New Park, 450. 

Nez Perces, 313, 326, 179, 180, 194, 
Nicollet, Joseph, 145. 
Niobrara, R., 148. 
Nootka, 304. 
North Park (Colo.), 380. 
Northwest Fur Company, S6, 154, 

222, 298, 302. 



O 



Ogallalas, 148, 150, 360. 

Ojibwa, 215, 257. 

Okinagan, 323, 327. 

Okinagan R., 323. 

Omaha Indians, 144. 

Ontario R., 254. 

Ontonagan R., 37-38, 

Ordway, Sergeant, 198. 

Oregon, 391. 

Oregon R., 65, 83, 394. 

Origin story (of Mandans), 159. 

Osage R., 228. 

Osages, 141, 14/)., 207, 225, 227-235. 

Osinipoilles, 49, 50, 53. 

Otoes, 141, 144, 145. 

Ottawa R., 15. 

Ottigaumies, 61, 80. 



458 



Index 



OttGwaw Lakes, 66. 

Ouisconsin (or Ouisconsing) R., 

6i, 209. 
Oxen, wild, 49. 



Pacific Fur Company, 299. 

Pahkees, 178. 

Pah-utes, 421. 

Panbian Mts., 262 

Panbian R., 272, 277. 

Pangman, Peter, 290, 292. 

Pangman's Tree, 290. 

Park R., 258. 

Parker, Samuel, 356. 

Pasquayah R., 43. 

Pawnawnees, 68. 

Pawnees, 68, 142, 144, 158, 208, 227- 

235. 238. 
Pawnee Picts, 357. 
Peace Point, 102. 

Peace R., 55, 102-103, 107, 121, 136. 
Peigan, 178, 291. 
Pembina Mts., 262. 
Pembina R., 298. 
Pemmican, 100. 
Pepin, Lake, 62. 
Petit Corbeau, 216. 
Pierced-nose Indians, 179, 313. 
Pike, Zebulon M., 141, 207, 331, 

393- 
Pike's Flag Raising, 233. 
Pike's Fort, 217. 
Pioneers, character of, 11. 
Platte R., 143, 148, 206. 
Pompey's Pillar, 203. 
Poncas, 148. 
Pond, Peter, 43-44. 
Pontiac, 35, 77. 
Porcupine R., 167, 
Portage de Lisle, 255. 
Portage La Prairie, 254, 256. 
Prairie des Chiens, La, 62, 65, 210, 

224. 
Prairie Hen R., 419. 
Preuss, Charles, 395. 
Pryor, Sergeant, 146, 198, 202, 203. 
Puants, 209. 
Puget Sound, 58. 
Purgatory R., 237. 
Pyramid Lake, 436, 



R 



Rainy Lake, 106, 324. 

Red Deer R., 291. 

Red Knife Indians, 88, 90. 

Red Lake, 260. 

Red Mountain, 65. 

Red R. (Canadian), 240, 241, 245. 

Red Wing, 224. 

Rees, 152, 153, 205. 

Republican R., 207. 

Reynards, 209. 

Ricaras, 156. 

Riding Mountain, 254. 

Rio Grande, 245. 

Rio Grande del Norte, 242, 330. 

Risen Moose, 215. 

Rivers: Arkansas, 237; Assiniboine, 
199; Bear, 389; Big Sioux, 68; 
Birch, 200; Blueberry, 295; Boi- 
sais, 389; Buenaventura, 430, 436; 
Cache a la Poudre, 41S; Canadian, 
343> 347; Cannon Ball, 153; Ci- 
marron, 334; Clear, 219; Clear- 
water, 290; Coeur d'Alene, 318; 
Coppermine, 86, 116; Cowelisk 
186; Cypress, 287; Dearborn, 174, 
199; de Bourbon, 43, 65; Des 
Chutes, 428; Dry Fork, 169; Elk, 
329; Fontaine qui bouit, 416; Fox. 
61; Frazer, 98; Gallatin, 174; 
Grand, 230, 423; Grape, 240; 
Green, 408, 419; Horse, 404; 
James, 148; Jefferson, 174, 176, 
201; John Day, 428; Judith, 170; 
Kansas, 148, 207, 231, 396; Knife, 
157. Laramie, 404; La Riviere 
qui Court, 148; La Roche Jaune, 
165; Le Boulet, 153; Lewis, 180, 
194; Little Bear, 382; Little Mis- 
souri, 153, 155; Little Sandy, 408; 
Little Snake, 382; Lodge Pole, 
404; Loup, 148, 259; Madison, 
174, 202; Maria's, 199; Mattawa, 
15; Medicine Lodge, 291; Mes- 
sorie, 65, 68, 83; Milk, 169; Min- 
nesota, 64; Missisaki, 16; Mis- 
souri, 17, et passim; Mouse, 282; 
Musselshell, 169; Nelson, 65; 
Niobrara, 148; of the West, 65, 
83; of Souls, 237; Okinagan, 323; 
dntonagan, 37, 38; Oregon, 65, 



Index 



459 



83, 394; Osage, 228; Ottawa, 15; 
Ouisconsin (or Ouisconsing), 61, 
209; Panbian, 272, 277; Pasqua- 
yah, 43; Peace, 55, 102, 121, 136; 
Pembina, 298; Platte, 240; Por- 
cupine, 167; Prairie Hen, 419; 
Purgatory, 237; Red (Canadian), 
240, 241, 245; Republican, 207; 
Rio del Nord, 61; Rio Grande, 
24s; Rio Grande del Norte, 242, 
330; Riviere aux Chutes, 428; 
Rocky Mountain, 328; Running 
Water, 148; Sacramento, 437, 
440; St. Croix, 62, 67; St. Fee, 61; 
St. Frances, 63, 64; St. Maurice, 
40; St. Peter's, 224, 262; St. 
Pierre, 64, 65; Saskatchewan, 17, 
43,289; Salmon, 365, 422; Schian 
262; Sevier, 449; Snake, 389, 428; 
Solomon, 231; Spokane, 327; 
Sweetwater, 407, 419; Uintah, 449; 
Walla Walla, 194, 312, 321; White, 
234,449; Whitestone, 145; Winni- 
pic, 25s; Wisconsin, 61; Wisdom, 
201; Yampah, 423; Yellowstone, 
165, 198, 201; York, 65; Yukon, 
98. 

Road of War, 67. 

Robinson, Dr., 227, 235. 

Robinson, "Uncle jack," 384. 

Rock Mountain Indians, 107. 

Rocky Mountain Ho., 290, 297, 328. 

Rocky Mountain R., 328. 

Root Diggers, 421. 

Running Water R., 148. 



Sac, 208. 

Sackett's Harbor, 252. 

Sacramento R., 437, 440. 

Sacs and Foxes, 209, 225. 

St. Anne's, 15. 

St. Augustine, founded, 3. 

St. Croix R., 62, 67. 

St. Maurice R., 40. 

St. Peter's, 216. 

St. Peter's R., 224, 262. 

St. Pierre R., 64, 65. 

St. Vrain's Fort, 402, 416. 

Salmon R., 365, 422. 

Salt Lake, 55. 



San Francisco Bay, 440. 

San Joaquin R., 444. 

Sans Oreille, 228. 

Santa Fe, 6, 7, 207, 242, 331. 

San tees, 148. 

Sarsi, 291, 292. 

Saskatchewan (Province), 254. 

Saskatchewan R., 17, 43, 44, 289. 

Saukies, (town of), 6r. 

Sault de Sainte-Marie, 20, 36, 39, 42, 

77- 
Saulteurs, 262. 
Sauteurs, 209, 223. 
Schian R., 262. 
Schians, 285. 
Scott's Bluffs, 360. 
Seminoles, 353. 
Sepulcher Rock, 193. 
Sevier R., 449. 
Sharha, 158. 

Shining Mountains, 64, 69. 
Shoshoni, 155, 175, 178, 180, 326. 
Side Hill Calf, 200. 
Sierra Nevada Mts., 436. 
Sign Language, 284. 
Sioux, 49, 61, 62, et passim. 
Sissetons, 148, 221. 
Sistasoone, 148. 
Slave Indians, 89. 
Slave Lake, 87, loi, 329. 
Snake Indians, 385, 424. 
Snake R., 389, 428. 
Soda Springs, 421. 
Sokulks, 181. 
Solomon R., 231. 
Soulier, 285. 
Soulier Noir, 157, 283. 
South Pass, 408. 
South Platte R., 240. 
Spokane, 319. 
Spokane House, 320. 
Spokane R., 327. 
Spokanes, 313. 
Staitan, 143. 
Staked Plains, 348. 
Standing Rock, 152. 
Standing Rock Agency, 152. 
Stone Idol Creek, 152. 
Stony, or Rocky, Mountains, 55. 
Straits of Annian, 58, 83. 
Sturgeon Lake, 287. 
Suhtai, 143. 



460 



Index 



Summer Lake, 434. 
Surgery, 104. 
Sutter, Capt., 442. 
Swampy Crees, 43. 
Sweetwater R., 407, 



419. 



Tanner, 280. 

Taos, 7, 330, 395. 

Temiscamingue Lake, 40. 

Terre Blanche, 293. 

Teton Indians, 149, 204. 

Tetons of the Burned Woods, 148. 

Minnakenozzo. 

Saone. 
"The River of the West," 388. 
Thompson, David, 222. 
Thousand Lakes, 64. 
Three Forks of the Missouri, 174. 
Three Parks, 450. 
Three Tetons, 410. 
Tlamath Lake, 430. 
Tongue R., 278. 
Tonquin, fate of, 304. 
Townsend, Dr. J. K., 368, 390. 
Trading Post, see Fort. 
Tripe de roche, 41. 
Tule Lake, 444. 
Tushepaw Indians, 179. 
Twisted Hair, 195. 

U 

Uintah R., 449. 
Umfreville, 5. 

Upper Red Cedar Lake, 222. 
Utah Lake, 449. 



Vera Cruz, 332. 
Verendrye, 17, 43, 59, 2S 



W 

Wacon-teebe, 63. 
Wahpatones, 148. 



Wahpatoota, 148. 

Walla Walla R., 194, 312, 321. 

Walla Wallas, 194, 312, 320, 326, 

366. 
Wappatoo, 185, 191. 
Warrior Societies, 147. 
Washington, (State of) 291. 
Wattasoons, 157. 
West Road R., 126. 
White Bear Island, 199. 
White Goose, 215. 
White R., 423, 449. 
Whitestone R., 145. 
Whitman, Dr. Marcus, 356, 361. 
Wilkinson, Gen. James, 207, 211, 

223, 226. 
Wilkinson, Lt., 227, 235. 
Willard, Sergeant, 201. 
Wind River Mountains, 408. 
Winnebago, Lake, 60. 
Winnebagoes, 60, 61, 209, 225. 
Winnipic R., 255. 
Wisconsin R., 61. 
Wisdom R., 201. 
Witapat, 144. 
Wolf Calf, 200. 
Wolf pits, 282. 
Wolves attacking horses, 324. 
Wolves, rabid, 260. 
Wood R., 141. 



Yampah R., 423. 

Yankton Sioux, 146, 14S, 152, 221. 

Yanktonnaies, 148. 

Yanktons of the Plains, 148. 

Yellow Knives, 88. 

Yellowstone Park, 204. 

Yellowstone R., 165, 198, 201, 

202. 
Yeso, 78. 
York R., 65. 
Yukon R., 98. 
Yutas, 337. 



Trails 
of the Pathfinders 

By GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL 
Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid $1.65 

CONTENTS 

Introduction Alexander Henry (the Younger) 

Alexander Henry Ross Cox 

Jonathan Carver The Commerce of the Prairies 

Alexander Mackenzie Samuel Parker 

Lewis and Clark Thomas J. Farnham 

Zebulon M. Pike Fremont 

One of the most stirring and inspiring chapters in 
the history of our country is made up of the pictur- 
esque, straightforward narratives of their adventures, 
told by the heroic men of action, explorers, hunters, 
and trappers, who first travelled through the unknown 
regions and among hostile Indians. Mr. Grinnell 
gives a number of the most exciting and important of 
these stories, told almost entirely in the words of the 
explorer himself, and they form a work of unrivalled 
interest to old and young. 



READY SHORTLY 



Zebulon M. Pike 

Edited by MARY GAY HUMPHREYS 
Illustrated. About $ 1 .50 net. Postage extra 

The thrilling account of Pike's explorations told 
chiefly in his own words. 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. NEW YORK 



The Boy's Catlin 

My Life Among the Indians 

Edited with Biographical Introduction by 

MARY GAY HUMPHREYS 

Illustrated from Catlin's Drawings. $1.50 net 

"As interesting a story of Indians as was ever writ- 
ten and has the merit of being true.'' — New York Sun. 

" It would be hard to find a book of more whole- 
some fascination for boys." — San Francisco Argonaut. 

The Boy's Drake 

By EDWIN M. BACON 
Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid $1.65 

" Much of the story is told in the words of old 
records, and interesting old maps and pictures make it 
still more valuable." — The Bookman. 

" He has entered into the stirring time of England's 
conquest of the seas and has written a fine biography 
of her great pirate captain, a book worthy of its subject 
and a worthy book for a boy." — Chicago Tribune. 

The Boy's Hakluyt 

Retold from Hakluyt 

By EDWIN M. BACON 
Illustrated. $1.50 net 

" There is more adventure in this volume than will 
be found in a whole library of fiction." — New York Sun. 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, NEW YORK 



BY NOAH BROOKS 

First Across the 
Continent 

A CONCISE STORY OF THE LEWIS AND CLARK 

EXPEDITION 

Illustrated. $1.50 net 

" More readable than a romance, full of hair-breadth 
escapes and imminent perils from savage man and beast, 
by storm and flood, by sickness and cold and star\'ation." 

— Chicago Post. 

" For any one who has an interest in adventure and 
in the hardihood of the pioneer this is a great story." 

— Boston Herald. 

The Boy Emigrants 

Illustrated. $1.25 

" It is one of the best boys' stories we have ever 
read." — The Christian Work. 

" The name alone of this volume's author should be 
a sufficient voucher' for its qualities . . . the book is 
picturesque and stirring." — Providence Journal. 

The Boy Settlers 

A STORY OF EARLY TIMES IN KANSAS 
Illustrated. $1.25 

" Three boys and two men go out into Kansas, at 
the time when that region was the Far West. The 
boys have great sport killing buffaloes and some trouble 
about Indian uprisings." — Tlie Independent. 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, NEW YORK 



The Adventures of 
James Capen Adams 

Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear 
Hunter of California 

By THEODORE H. HITTELL 
Illustrated. $1.50 net. Postpaid, $1.65 

The story of the life and thrilling adventures of one 
of the most famous of American hunters and one of 
the first great tamers of wild animals. 

The narrative is given just as it first appeared in the 
simple, direct language in which " Grizzly " Adams told 
it to Mr. Hittell — a style that bears all the marks of 
absolute truth. 

The Grizzly Bear 

By WILLIAM H. WRIGHT 
Illustrated from Photographs by the Author and 
J. B. Kerfoot. $1.50 net 

" Full of the atmosphere of the big game woods and 
vibrant with hazards of the chase." — Boston Globe. 

" The very spirit of the grizzly is in subtle fashion 
brought near us. The book will long hold a high place 
in the literature of sport." — New York Tribune. 

The Black Bear 

By WILLIAM H. WRIGHT 

Illustrated from Photographs by the Author and 

J. B. Kerfoot. $1.00 net. Postpaid $1.10 

"Finely illustrated, informing, and entertaining." 

— Philadelphia Inquirer. 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, NEW YORK 



APR 25 t&M 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



016 099 755 2 J 



^ 



